The Composition of Shared Feelings
by WolfGangSBD
Summary: How did Muse end up creating those duet songs? Main NozoEli and KotoUmi with side NicoMaki and RinPana. Changed to M because of the extra chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Storm in Lover: The Making**

"So why are we here instead of practicing on the rooftop?" Eli's inquisitive voice rang out from her position at the table.

Muse had hastily met up in the Idol Research club room under Maki and Nico's fervent orders. The raven-haired girl was grinning widely and her crimson eyes twinkled with excitement as she sat at the end of the table. On the other hand, Maki frowned slightly as she stood next to her, her violet eyes filled with mild irritation. Hanayo, Rin, Kotori, and Umi sat on one side while Honoka, Nozomi, and Eli sat on the other.

"Everyone, listen to this amazing song Maki-chan just made!" Nico exclaimed eagerly, whipping out her phone and connecting speakers to it. Seven eyes widened in curiosity before surprise took place moments after the music started to play. Immediately after, they fixated on Maki, who started to twirl her scarlet locks in embarrassment.

"W-What?" The redhead asked, her frown getting deeper.

"I-It doesn't seem like your type of music." Hanayo replied meekly and Rin nodded energetically.

"Usually it'd be more piano-y, nya!" Rin responded with a grin, making the girls giggle at her use of language.

"I concur with those two. I did not expect a samba-like song to be composed from an individual like you." Umi agreed and the rest of the girls nodded, making Maki blush lightly.

"I-It's not like I wanted to make something like this. Anyways, it's all Nico-chan's fault. She made me watch one of those telenovelas when she came over last week." Maki defended but froze, inwardly banging her head on an imaginary wall when she realized she let out too much information. Her violet eyes squinted in annoyance when she noticed Nozomi's face light up.

"Oh? The two of you met up last week? I wonder how long these secret rendezvous' have been happening…" Nozomi teased, grinning when Maki and Nico blushed.

"S-Says the one who eats parfaits all the time with a certain someone." Nico responded angrily, glaring at the purple-haired girl who shrugged it off.

"Everyone knows that though. What the two of you have been doing is something no one knows about however." Nozomi replied with her teasing smile still in place. Eli shifted nervously next to her, not liking where this was going.

"Nozomi, stop teasing Nico. What's important is that we need to write lyrics and decide who sings what." The blonde interrupted, giving pointed looks at the two. Nozomi giggled while Nico sat down on her chair with Maki still standing next to her. Maki rolled her eyes at the three, choosing not to sit because she thought the meeting would be over quickly.

"I do not have much experience with these types of songs though." Umi commented and Honoka shook her head vehemently before giving Umi a hard look.

"That's no good, Umi-chan! Tell me, what do you think of when you hear the about the Spanish language?" Honoka said and Umi paused in thought but was shortly interrupted by the girl next to her.

"Ah! I see what you're getting at, Honoka-chan!" Kotori exclaimed, clapping her hands together while Hanayo nodded amiably.

"Romance, right?" Hanayo replied and the two made eye contact with each other before sighing dreamily. Maki rolled her eyes yet again; of course it would be those two who would react that way. They loved those cheesy romance movies too much.

"Like French, Spanish is considered a romantic language. Plus, it helps that Maki-chan was thinking of a telenovela at the time, right?" Honoka clarified, sending the redhead a wink and the group nodded their heads in realization. Maki just blushed and kept quiet, starting to twirl her hair in embarrassment once again.

"A l-love song?" Umi questioned, her face turning red at the thought. The group of girls giggled at their blue-haired friend; it was amusing how just talking about love got the girl embarrassed.

"Umi-chan, fight-o dayo!" Honoka exclaimed, giving the girl a thumbs up. Umi groaned lightly and rested her head on the table but was slightly eased by the feeling of Kotori patting her head.

"It's okay, Umi-chan. I know you can do it." Kotori comforted and Umi raised her head slightly, shooting the girl a small smile.

"Thank you."

"Now that that is over with, who will be singing what?" Nico asked, getting everyone back on track. Umi lifted her head and straightened her posture once again; it wouldn't be proper for her to keep her head down while a conversation was still going. The girls sat back in silence but Nozomi spoke up moments after.

"Now that I think about it, this song doesn't really fit my style." Nozomi brought up and Nico nodded her head, her face looking serious as she put her hand under her chin.

"Of course. You fit more with those electronic songs so you can make use of those huge ass tits of yours—OW! What the hell, Eli!" Nico started but the smirk on her face was wiped off when Eli threw a pencil at her.

"Nico, behave."

"Oh my god, if it was to protect your girlfriend just say so."

"We're not like that!" Eli bit back and was going to say more but she felt Nozomi's hand on her arm.

"Don't worry about Nicochi, Elichi. I'll make sure to punish her later." Nozomi said, the smile on her face suddenly looking ominous. The other girls stayed quiet in fear of Nozomi's infamous punishment but Honoka's excited yell broke the third years out of their fight.

"I have a great idea!" She exclaimed and Maki groaned, walking to where the computer was and sitting at the chair there. At this point, she knew that the meeting wouldn't be over soon.

"If only you thought like that every day." Umi muttered, making Kotori poke her cheek.

"Don't be mean, Umi-chan!" She whispered back.

"Hey, lovebirds, I'm in the middle of saying my idea. You're being rude!" Honoka interrupted, inwardly grinning when the two blushed. She continued when she saw Umi try to respond.

"We're not—"

"As I was saying, I thought of something that would be different from usual. We should do some duets!" Honoka shouted in excitement and was met with eight curious eyes.

"Duets?" Maki asked peculiarly but was shadowed by Nico and Hanayo's exploding enthusiasm.

"How could I forget?! In the history of idols, duets within a group—" Hanayo started passionately.

"—are extremely popular!" Nico finished energetically and the two gave each other high fives, leaving the group of girls to ponder about Honoka's idea.

"It might be a bit complicated though." Eli commented but Nozomi shook her head.

"I think it's a wonderful idea. Ah, but I'll only agree if Nicochi does a duet with Maki-chan." Nozomi responded, her lips forming into a smirk when she saw the two's faces turn red.

"W-What? Then you and Eli should do a duet!" Nico pointed a finger at the two angrily, making Nozomi giggle. No one questioned Nico's outburst, already knowing why she didn't reject the idea in the first place.

"Are you fine with that, Elichi?" Nozomi asked, her eyes looking at the blonde in amusement. She held back a giggle when she saw the blonde turn slightly red.

"Of course. If it's you, I don't mind." Eli replied, giving her best friend a shy smile. The scene made Nico gag, who could never get used to the two flirting even though most of it was purely unintentional. This was why she mostly hung out with the first years; Nozomi and Eli practically drowned with each other with attention.

"Wouldn't it be cute if Kotori-chan and Kayo-chin did one too, nya?" Rin asked suddenly, getting everyone's attention.

"Really? Why?" Kotori and Hanayo asked at the same time, tilting their heads slightly which made Rin squeal.

"See? The two of you are so cute, nya! Ah, but to me Kayo-chin is the cutest!" Rin exclaimed, hugging the blushing girl tightly while rubbing her face on Hanayo's.

"M-Mou, Rin-chan!" The shy girl exclaimed, her face red with embarrassment.

"How about Rin-chan and Maki-chan do one too?" Nozomi asked, making the two girls look at her curiously.

"Eh? Why?" Maki asked blandly and Nozomi gave them a knowing smile.

"The two of your voices mesh together pretty well." Nozomi replied and Eli nodded.

"That's true. The two of you are pretty close too. Well, Rin is close to everyone." Eli remarked, making the cat-like girl give the others her usual cheery smile which made them giggle; Rin never failed to brighten up everyone's spirits.

"Ah, I completely forgot!" Honoka shouted suddenly, making Nozomi and Maki flinch slightly at her loudness.

"Oi, lower the volume." Maki glared at Honoka, who smiled sheepishly in return.

"Umi-chan and Kotori-chan should totally do a duet!" Honoka exclaimed, inwardly smirking when she saw the two become flustered.

"W-Why do you think that?" Umi inquired and Honoka looked at her with her eyebrows raised.

"Eh? You don't know?" Honoka replied with genuine curiosity to which Umi shook her head. Honoka then shifted her gaze at Hanayo, who gasped in realization before she started to twiddle with her fingers.

"What's up Hanayo-chan?" Kotori asked, making the first year a bit more embarrassed.

"Ah, it's just I was talking to Honoka-chan earlier about how my class saw the three of you." Hanayo responded with a shy smile on her face. Umi motioned for the girl to continue.

"W-Well, they thought that Honoka-chan was really charming, which is expected of a leader but they also thought that Umi-chan was prince-like whereas Kotori-chan seemed like a princess. Something about how dashing Umi-chan looks in her archery uniform and how cute Kotori-chan is to the point that one would want to protect her. The three of you are more popular than you think." Hanayo explained, her smile becoming softer when the two girls felt heat rush up to their cheeks; it reminded her of when she would call Rin cute.

"P-Prince-like?! Dashing?!"

"Princess?! Protecting me?!"

"The two of you didn't know?" Nozomi said before she giggled loudly and elbowed Eli. "Told you I wasn't going crazy. Pay up, Elichi." Eli frowned lightly as she handed Nozomi 500¥, muttering about how she wouldn't bet against the spiritual girl anymore; this was her third time losing.

"The two of you had a bet without me!" Nico shouted in surprise and glared at the two. "Not cool!"

"That's not the point Nico." Maki grumbled, annoyed that they were getting off topic. "What about Honoka-chan?"

"Eh? What about me?" Honoka asked, making Maki sigh.

"You don't have a duet with anyone." Maki pointed out and the room was silent again. They all started to think again except for Umi, who was still embarrassed of the previous conversation. On the other hand, Kotori got over the shock faster seeing as how she wasn't like Umi.

"How about Rin-chan?" Nozomi suggested and Kotori nodded in agreement.

"Those two do give off a similar vibe. I bet it'd be an exciting song." She said, smiling softly when the two bubbled up with excitement. Umi, on the other hand, started to furrow her eyebrows. This made Kotori poke her best friend on the cheek again, giggling lightly when the blue-haired girl raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Stop that Umi-chan, that expression doesn't suit your face. I thought you'd be used to her energy by now." Kotori whispered, making the girl frown.

"I can never get used to her. In fact, Honoka with Rin means too much energy, which in turn creates problems." Umi replied, making Kotori pout.

"Are you used to me? Or are you the type who likes to be kept on their toes?" Kotori asked and her voice sounded innocent but her eyes betrayed her; they were full of mischief. At this point, she had scooted closer to the blue-haired girl, her hands wrapping around her arm.

"O-Of course not! I prefer you over Honoka any day, although I admit it wouldn't be the same without her either." Umi stuttered quietly and her soft voice was filled with embarrassment as she tried to not think about how close the girl was. Kotori was a bit clingy sometimes but that didn't mean that she was used to it.

"Oi! Stop flirting!" Nico exclaimed and the two immediately separated, making Nozomi giggle.

"You're just jealous you can't flirt with Maki-chan, Nicochi."

"S-Shut up! That's not the point!"

"Oh, is it really?"

"Gah! Nozomi, I swear—"

"Nico! Nozomi! Behave!" Eli interrupted and glared at the two.

"Or what? You'll spank me?" Nozomi asked, the teasing smile apparent on her face once again. The room was deadly quiet save for the sound of Nico's muffled gag and Eli blushed lightly before she turned serious once again.

"The two of you will be doing a duet then. I will personally review it and if it isn't up to my standards, I'll make the two of you do something you'll regret." She ordered, her blue eyes forming into an icy glare which made Nico groan loudly.

"Are you kidding me? As if I want to sing with that big titties monst—" Nico started but stopped when she saw Eli's glare upgrade to the "Death Glare", which basically meant she wasn't joking around at all. That and her punishments would become equivalent to hell itself.

"A-Ano, what about the song that Maki-chan made?" Hanayo meekly asked, wanting to avoid another conflict. This was the reason they met up here in the first place instead of going straight to practice at the roof top. It was amusing how all their meetings ended up like this; lively, random, and bordering on procrastination.

"Now that I think about it, Umi would fit that song pretty well." Maki noted, making the girl blush lightly.

"Is that true? How so?" The blue-haired girl asked, a small frown forming on her face when she realized that she would most likely have to write the song. A _love_ song. "Soldier Game" didn't count; that was inspired by an action movie with romance as a subgenre. This right here was a full on _romantic_ song.

"I think your deep voice is compatible with a song like this. Hm, I just realized now that Eli's voice with yours is a good combination." Maki explained and Honoka nodded approvingly.

"Deep Umi with a higher, sorta soft Eli _is_ a good combination." The ginger said before twisting to her right. "Nice going, Maki-chan!" She held out her hand to give the girl a high five with a wide grin on her face.

"O-Of course! After all, I have to make sure everyone's voice is in pristine condition so I would know whose voices would be compatible." Maki responded, twirling her hair in embarrassment and ignored the hand, making Honoka pout. The group of girls giggled lightly at their interaction.

"Hm…Kotori, Nozomi, are you okay with this?" Maki brought up after with a slight frown and the two girls looked at her curiously.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Kotori replied, tilting her head to the side. Maki bit her lip and chose not to respond because she didn't know how to so Nico spoke up for her.

"It's supposed to be a love song, you know." She stated and Nozomi giggled.

"It's not like these two dorks are dating or anything. Unless they have been having secret rendezvous' like the two of you." Nozomi teased, giving the two a wink and Nico huffed angrily; here she was trying to help her best friend and all she gets is having it thrown back at her face.

"I told you already, it's not like that!" Nico protested while Umi groaned lightly at the hurt look Kotori was giving her.

"Eli and I are not like that Kotori." Kotori gave Umi a pout and was about to respond but Honoka decided that it was time that they started to organize everything.

"Okay, so we've got a couple duet songs to make. How about each duet writes the song themselves? This way, Maki-chan has enough time to think about some ideas for the music while Umi-chan can take a little break." Honoka explained loudly to get the group's attention and the girls agreed.

"That sounds good but what about today's practice?" Nico asked and Honoka made a thinking pose before hitting her fist onto her palm.

"Let's cancel it!"

"You better have a good reason for skipping practice." Umi said gravely, thinking that Honoka was making an excuse.

"N-No, of course not! I just thought that we could all start working together with our duet partners. Eli-chan and Umi-chan should get started soon anyways."

"But wouldn't one person be left out, nya?" Rin asked and Honoka shook her head while smiling.

"That's okay! How about we have Kotori-chan and Hanayo-chan, Rin-chan and I, and then Nico-chan with Maki-chan and Nozomi-chan?"

"Eh? Why do I have to be with the annoying ones?" Nico made a disgruntled face and Honoka giggled.

"Because if you and Maki-chan are alone, you'll argue—"

"You mean make out?" The group of girls ignored Nozomi's statement for the sake of ending the meeting.

"—over everything! Nozomi-chan can mediate for you two as well as work with you for your duet." Honoka replied and Nico frowned, not liking the plan at all. If Nozomi was there, then she wouldn't be able to do anything with the redhead.

"You've planned everything out pretty good, Honoka-chan." Kotori remarked, shooting her friend a thumbs up.

"Of course! All this sugar is converting into work after all!"

"Sugar, you say?" Umi's voice became dark and Honoka let out a squeak.

"W-Well, then, let's all get to work now! Rin-chan, let's go!" Honoka took Rin and dragged her out of the door before Umi could even say anything. The girls shook their heads at Honoka before getting up.

They had a lot of work to do.

* * *

"So how do we go about this?" Eli asked Umi as they sat under the tree in the courtyard.

"I have no clue. They did say that this song would be r-romantic." Umi replied and blushed lightly, "This really is not my forte in my opinion."

"Well, it isn't my strong point either." Eli responded as she sighed. The two kept quiet, musing about what to write while looking at the sky. Eli was leaning against the tree while Umi sat on the grass.

"How about we start off with some ideas?" Umi asked and Eli nodded slowly in agreement.

"Let's see… For some reason I think of summer and sunsets." Eli responded and Umi wrote that down.

"Ah, like dancing at the beach?" Umi asked with her hand under her chin as she thought deeply.

"Something like that. It's like a samba song anyways so it has a dance-like feel to it."

"That is true. When I think of this song, I think of the word 'passion' and maybe something like the rhythm of waves since we're talking about dancing." Umi added slowly, trying to piece her thoughts into a comprehensive sentence and Eli nodded once more.

"That's pretty good. I really hope some people don't take this the wrong way though." Eli replied, making Umi look at her with curiosity.

"Why is that?" She asked and raised an eyebrow, making Eli chuckle at how unaware her underclassman was.

"Well, what would people think when two of the most sought-out girls in the school created a love song together?" Eli replied with a teasing smile and Umi blushed.

"I did not think we were seen like that."

"You heard what Hanayo said earlier; you've got quite the fan base. Not to mention, Nico was ranting about ship pandering a couple days ago." Eli chuckled once again when the blue-haired girl blushed at the memory.

Nico was trying to get everyone to liven up the "yuri vibes" because that was what the fans wanted but they all decided not to go through with it with the excuse being that they felt like doing affectionate things in public was too much (except for two certain first years who were practically stuck to the hip). Nico knew that that wasn't the case but let it go; if she pushed them too hard, it might have resulted in an opposite reaction.

"Shameful." Umi whispered before continuing, "Is there a specific reason as to why you hope some people don't take it the wrong way? I can tell you were sort of changing the subject back then." Eli laughed nervously; it seems like Umi wasn't as oblivious as she thought she was.

"Well, you see—please don't take offense to this—but I can't really think of you in a romantic way. There's someone out there that I like so I hope that that person doesn't misunderstand." Eli explained tensely and Umi let out a small smile before shaking her head, making Eli raise an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I can't see you like that either; I see you more as someone to look up too, especially with how you deal with people so calmly." Eli almost let out a snort at this; she was sure she meant everyone but Nozomi, "You are very level-headed and I admit that you are the most reliable one in the group. B-But like you, there's also someone I like…" Umi confessed, blushing lightly as she played with her pencil and Eli gave Umi a pointed look.

"Really? Umi likes someone? The Umi who always cowered at kiss scenes and shameless things?" Eli questioned, her lips forming into a teasing smile.

"Y-You are one to talk! The school thinks you are cool and composed when in reality you act like a dork. Around a certain student with emerald eyes." Umi bit back, a triumphant smile forming on her face when the blonde turned red in embarrassment.

"S-Says the one who can't resist a certain second year's charm!" Eli responded with a smirk, which made Umi blush this time.

"W-Well I can't help it, not when she gives me those eyes." Umi groaned lightly as she lay back on the grass, looking up at the blue sky. She got rid of her troubled look and let out a small smile when she saw two birds flying together, making Eli giggle lightly. The reason behind her smile was so obvious.

"I know how you feel. Part of the reason why we get parfaits all the time is because she gives me those eyes too." Umi drifted her eyes to where Eli was, smiling warmly at the sight. Eli was looking to where the Student Council room was, her eyes glazed over in deep thought. Umi knew that the other girl was thinking of someone, specifically a student with twinkling emerald eyes.

"Will you do anything about it?" Umi asked gently, breaking Eli out of her reverie. She was answered with a deep sigh and heard her move to lay her back completely on the tree.

"Probably not. It's sort of hard to explain, you know. I want to tell her but I also don't want to. Partly because I'm scared she won't feel the same but mostly because—"

"—you do not want things to change." Umi finished and Eli looked at her in surprise. Umi sat up and shot Eli an understanding smile.

"I know how you feel. It is the same thing with her too. I am content with what we have now but I know deep down that I want something more. " Eli held back a surprised look; Umi was being unusually open today. Eli concluded that it was most likely because they were in the same situation.

"…summer." Eli muttered and Umi gave her a questionable look, making Eli repeat her comment in a louder tone.

"Summer?"

"Yeah. That could be an idea, no? It's hot, and hot comes hand and hand with passion which is the theme of the song." Eli clarified and Umi nodded her head, writing down the idea on her notepad.

"A summer of wanting to see you…" Umi suddenly said and blushed, making Eli giggle.

"That's a cute and bold line. Add that!"

"No, it is too shameless." Umi grumbled and Eli playfully threw grass at her.

"If you haven't noticed, we're writing this song with them in our minds." Eli responded straightforwardly and Umi blushed harder.

"That is exactly why it is shameless. If she found out—"

"—then she would be ecstatic."

"Would it not seem desperate? And what makes you think that?" Umi asked curiously and Eli let out a knowing smirk.

"I've noticed that you like to spoil her a lot and that she doesn't mind at all."

"W-What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, let's just leave it at the fact that the prince singing something like that to the princess would make a great romantic story. And everyone knows she absolutely loves romantic stories." Eli chuckled loudly when she saw how red Umi got.

"W-Well you are going to sing it too!"

"Well now that I think about it, I've felt like that before. During my first and second year at this school, I mean." Eli replied as she smiled, closing her eyes as she tried to remember the feeling.

"I thought the two of you were close from the start though." Umi replied and Eli opened her eyes to give her a deadpan look.

"Are you serious? With how shy she was and how standoffish I was? I really owe it to her though; she was really determined to be friends with me, and I'm grateful for that." Eli responded and Umi let out a sheepish smile.

' _A great miracle at that.'_ Umi mused; if it weren't for Nozomi convincing Eli to join, then Muse would never be the same. Their dances, their success, their friendship which bordered on family—none of it would have been possible without the two mothers of Muse.

"Let's get back to work now. We have a couple good ideas but some more would be great." Umi said and Eli nodded vigorously, a determined smile on her face.

"Let's write and sing this for them then."

"For them."

* * *

 _A Week Later_

"So, I thought we could use these duet songs as part of our next live two months from now! I think that's enough time for us to organize and write the other songs. The only ones who need to write one now are Umi-chan, Kotori-chan, Eli-chan, and Nozomi-chan after all." Honoka explained amiably.

The girls were all in the club room once again under someone's fervent orders and this time, it was Honoka. The seating arrangement was the same as before except Maki chose to sit next to Honoka so that Nozomi was on her side. She came to regret her decision now.

"Has everyone finished their lyrics though?" Maki asked, irritated at how energetic Honoka was. She thought she would get used to it after hanging out with Rin but it was still annoying.

"Yeah!" The group chorused and gave their papers to her. Maki raised an eyebrow when she looked at them, quickly scanning the contents so she had an idea of what type of song to compose.

"A confession song from Hanayo and Kotori? Interesting." She shuffled the papers to see the next song, and Kotori ignored the curious look radiating from Umi. "Ah, just as I expected from Rin and Honoka; something filled with energy." She flipped the papers over and groaned lightly. "Right, I can't believe I forgot about Nico-chan and Nozomi's song. The entire thing is a joke."

"You're one to talk. All you and Nicochi sing about is looking at each other and being attracted to it." Nozomi replied, smirking when the two blushed heavily.

"That's pretty gay, Maki-chan." Honoka commented with a snicker but stopped when she saw Maki's glare.

"W-Whatever. Let's see Eli and Umi's lyri—" Maki responded, wanting to get the meeting over with but didn't get to finish her sentence. Her blush turned darker as her mouth slowly opened and closed like a fish, which was an extremely rare occurrence. The girl was embarrassed easily but never to the extent that she was flabbergasted; she had her reputation and pride as a Nishikino at stake after all.

"What's wrong Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked curiously but was completely ignored as Maki suddenly stood up and pointed her finger at Eli and Umi, her eyes wide in embarrassment.

"T-The two of you are completely shameless. Sharing extreme dreams? Your b-body calling out? The temptation of perfume? _Absolutely shameless!_ " Maki exploded and Nico walked over and snatched the paper out of Maki's hands.

"You're probably overreacting Maki-chan. After all, you're pretty inexperienced when it comes to roman—" Nico started but couldn't finish her sentence.

"Yeah this is pretty intense. And a bit desperate sounding. Really, an entire summer? I can't believe Maki wasn't joking when she commented on the 'body calling out' part."

"Really, nya? Rin wants to see!" Rin took the paper from Nico but blushed when she read it. "I completely agree with Nico-chan, nya…"

"Y-You said you wanted romance so we made some romance!" Eli defended herself but groaned when she saw Nico's eyebrow raised, "Not like that, Nico." Eli really didn't want to create any misunderstandings.

"Wow, I didn't think Elichi was like this." Nozomi teased yet she hid her true emotions expertly; she knew Eli and Umi didn't think of each other in that way but it still didn't do anything to ease the anxiousness she felt. With lyrics as passionate as those, Eli must have been thinking of someone.

"Like I said, it's nothing like that!"

"Eli is right! We absolutely do not see each other in that way." Umi added frantically, turning to Kotori when the girl was being too quiet.

"I thought we were best friends, Umi-chan. I thought you would tell me everything." The girl sniffled and Umi frowned deeply, resisting the temptation to bang her head on the table and groan out loud.

"If I had something to tell you I would say it right away. You are the only person I cannot hide anything from." Umi reassured, ignoring Honoka's protests and lightly grasped her shoulders, using her other hand to lift her face up. She frowned when she saw the girl look like she was about to cry.

"Kotori…" She used her thumb to gently wipe away a tear dropping and moved her other hand to hold Kotori's, trying hard to comfort her best friend. If Umi inched closer, just a little bit closer, then their lips would meet and then—

 _'Flash!'_

"Oops, did I leave the flash on?" Honoka asked out loud and laughed nervously when she saw Umi's death glare come out; her death glare came hand in hand with death itself.

"Uh, everyone be sure to practice your songs. Gotta blast!" Honoka exclaimed, sprinting out the door with Umi on her heels.

"They can't even practice their songs without the music you idiot!"

"Umi-chan, you're so mean!"

"How do you expect to take over Eli's position as Student Council President if you act like this all the time!" Umi's furious voice trailed off as she ran father away, chasing Honoka to wherever she ran off to.

The room was awkwardly quiet after. The atmosphere was tense mostly because everyone, except Eli, knew that Nozomi had a thing for the blonde and that Kotori liked Umi. They all also knew, except for Kotori and Nozomi, that the song was written for the two but the four kept quiet, not wanting to do anything because they thought that it would be best if the other four solved their own problems. That, and they were afraid of making things worse.

At this point, Kotori wasn't going to cry. Instead, she slumped slightly into her seat quietly, an adorable pout on her face. Nozomi had relaxed somewhat but was still wondering who Eli wrote the song for. The same thing was in Kotori's mind.

"Right. I'll get to composing right now. Eli and Nozomi, you two still need to write your lyrics. Kotori, you too." Maki interrupted, not wanting to stand the silence any longer.

"E-Eh? But Umi-chan is somewhere else right now." Kotori replied nervously, not wanting to face her best friend just yet. Nico snorted and took out her phone but was hit by Maki before she was able to do anything.

"You're being rude."

"That doesn't mean you have to hit me!"

"Of course I have to! No one else will do it!"

"Shut up and let me finish what I'm doing!" Nico yelled back but immediately smirked when she felt the person she was texting reply.

"Really? All she sends is the letter "K"? I thought she was supposed to be eloquent, seeing as she's _so_ good at writing lyrics." Nico commented sarcastically and Rin opened her mouth to question what was going on but was stopped when the door slammed open by a frantic Umi.

"Wow that took like a second. Say, Rin, what's your fastest 100m time?" Everyone ignored Nico's attempt to make a joke and paid attention to the girl who had just opened the door.

"What is it?! Where is she?! Kotori are you okay?!" Umi almost shouted. Almost because she saved the real yelling to scold troublemakers and Kotori was definitely not one. Well, if making her heart skip a beat counted then she _would_ be one but that wasn't the point.

"U-Umi-chan I'm right here." Kotori raised her hand weakly and Umi sighed in relief. She walked over to Kotori and hugged her tightly. "Umi-chan?"

"Nico told me you were crying so I ran here." Umi replied before she pulled away, blushing slightly. On the other hand, Kotori was a darker shade of red, not expecting this from the normally conservative girl. Meanwhile, everyone else almost scoffed when they saw that Umi had completely forgotten that Nico lied to her, knowing that the reason of her forgetfulness had something to do with Kotori.

"W-We should get started on our song now, Umi-chan." Kotori said, giving the girl her best smile. By now, she knew that Umi regarded her as someone special but didn't know if it was the same type of special she was thinking of. She didn't know who Umi wrote that song for and instead decided that she would pour her feelings into her lyrics no matter how desperate it seemed.

"Of course. Would you like to come over? I believe the house provides fewer distractions than the school." Umi offered, fidgeting lightly at how forward it seemed. Kotori didn't seem to catch the intention seeing as she stayed at Umi and Honoka's place as often as they went over her house.

"Sure. We'll both be leaving then." Kotori told the rest of the girls as she got up to get her stuff. Umi gently pushed the chair back in before waving to the girls, and the two walked out of the door.

"Those two are so dense it's killing me. Oh right, the other two are pretty damn oblivious too." Nico grumbled as she sat down and slumped into her seat. "Oi, the two of you need to write your song too." Nico raised the volume of her voice, getting the attention of the other third years.

"Wanna come over to my place too, Elichi?" Nozomi suggested as she wagged her eyebrows up and down. She laughed when Eli gave her a light slap.

"Only if we get some parfaits on the way." Eli mumbled, blushing lightly and Nozomi gave her a warm smile. It wasn't uncommon for Eli to come over; the two studied together before every test and Eli slept over pretty often, not that anyone knew about that.

"Deal." The two left and the remaining occupants in the room sighed.

"Holy hell, how haven't those four gotten together yet?" Nico complained loudly and Rin thought for a moment before bursting in laughter, making the rest of the girls look at her in disgust (Maki) or curiosity.

"What's up, Rin-chan?" Hanayo asked and Rin put a hand on her shoulder to steady herself.

"Rin just noticed that the Soldier Game Trio is made up of the densest, dorkiest people in the world, nya!" Nico and Hanayo looked at each other before joining Rin and laughing noisily, which was extremely unladylike. Not like the two cared at the moment anyways.

"Oh my god, that's so true!" Nico agreed, using her hand to wipe a tear coming out of her eye. Maki scowled at the three and coughed loudly.

"Excuse me? I'm part of said Trio and I'm most definitely not dense or a dork." Maki frowned when Nico stopped to laugh to give her a deadpan look.

"How many hints did I drop for you during that night when we watched that show?" Rin and Hanayo kept quiet while Maki blushed, fidgeting lightly.

"Uh—" Maki started but stopped when Nico turned around to the first years.

"This dork didn't understand me when I showed her like a million hints. First, I wore a cute outfit and complimented everything, to which she did her usual dumb "T-That's expected of the Nishikino family". I even flirted with her so many times but she just brushed me off with her stupid"I don't get it" response." The two first years giggled at Nico's imitation of Maki while Maki's face reddened considerably.

"Oh my god Nico-chan please—"

"Nu uh! You are not interrupting me! Second of all, I decided to cook lunch and made her an omelet with tomatoes in it. With ketchup in the form of a heart! She just gave me a weird look and ate it." Nico complained and Maki groaned, using her hands to cover her face while Rin and Hanayo giggled even louder.

"Then, when we start watching the show, I start to cuddle up next to her and she has the audacity to ask what I was doing. When I said that I was getting cold, she just pointed to a blanket and told me to use it. This dork only understood what I was getting to when I went on top of her lap and shoved my—"

"—Okay that is far enough now!" Maki shouted, using her hand to cover Nico's mouth while Rin and Hanayo laughed loudly at how red Maki was.

"So the two of you are together?" Hanayo asked and Nico nodded, sighing heavily.

"It took so much effort." Nico pouted and Maki groaned once more.

"I think it was worth it, nya!" Rin responded and Nico gave her a warm smile, her sudden angry mood gone in a flash.

Nico turned around to look at her girlfriend with the memories of what had happened after they got together. They spent more time talking than arguing and learned more about each other. The two still had times where they would quarrel but they also had their quiet days, and the most memorable to Nico would be when they laid next to each other and gazed at the stars. Nico engraved that relaxed, loving expression Maki had whenever she talked about the stars in her head, loving it when the redhead was able to smile so honestly.

"It was definitely worth it," Nico gave Maki a quick peck on the cheek, which made the girl blush, "so let's make sure our other friends realize that too."

"Roger that!"

* * *

 **AN:** Since I'm NozoEli trash and I love the song "Storm in Lover" I just had to make something to rest my jealous uneasy NozoEli trash heart (sorry EliUmi fans). Also for those who want there to be a happy ending for "The Facade"...Maybe? Well, it's meant to be a tragedy but I might add an alternate ending later when I have time.

Other than that, this story will have four parts. As always, criticism is always appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Anemone Heart: The Making**

Umi's house was spacious and peacefully quiet, which was expected of a traditional home. Umi and Kotori were in her bedroom, both conversing serenely. The house heard nothing other than the soft giggles that came out of the room, most of them coming from Kotori.

"Ne, we should get started on the lyrics Umi-chan." Kotori said with her usual warm smile and Umi returned it with her own gentle one, feeling at ease with her best friend.

"Of course. Do you have any ideas?" Umi asked and Kotori put her finger on her lips, looking up to the ceiling in thought. Umi's chocolate eyes drifted down to her lips before they snapped back up. She inwardly shook her head and willed the light blush adorning her cheeks to go away. Ever since she read the lyrics to Hanayo and Kotori's duet, Umi couldn't help but observe the younger girl as of late; she wanted to know whether Kotori had someone special in mind or not. However, any more thoughts were interrupted when Kotori's eyes sparkled, indicating that she had thought of something but then she suddenly frowned, making Umi look at her in worry.

"Is, is it okay if we do something a bit…sad?" Kotori asked, biting her lip in apprehension making Umi's bronze eyes soften with concern.

"I have no qualms about that. Why do you ask? Are you not feeling well?" Umi asked anxiously and Kotori gave her a reassuring smile.

"No, it's just something I've been thinking about as of late." Kotori replied before she took out a journal from her bag. "Sometimes when I'm feeling something extreme—happiness or sadness—I write it down. I thought it would help if I were to write lyrics again." Umi nodded her head in understanding, remembering when Kotori had a hard time writing lyrics for "Wonder Zone".

"But why must it be something sad?" Umi questioned and Kotori gave her a smile; one that she couldn't read and it worried her to no end.

"I just felt that singing something like that would best convey my feelings to the fans. A song can't be well expressed if it isn't passionate, right?" Kotori half-lied and Umi chose not to prod; she would respect her best friend's decision, knowing that Kotori rarely lied to her. However, this didn't ease the tension she felt and she still felt anxious as to why Kotori was feeling down.

"May I take a look then?" Umi asked politely and Kotori gave her a relieved smile, grateful that she hadn't pressed her. She handed the notebook over to Umi, whose eyes widened in surprise when she read the contents inside.

" _Lonely my love, lonely my heart._

 _Longing for kindness, being hurt by kindness,_

 _I've never wanted to experience these feelings._

 _I can't handle them._

 _I want to monopolize you, I can't wait anymore._

 _Your heart is so distant that I want to cry._

 _I'm not a flower bud._

 _I want to be picked._

 _You see, I can't say it, but I love you."_

"Kotori…" Umi said quietly and her heart throbbed painfully. She looked up to see her best friend who gave her an expectant look.

"Is it fine?" She asked and Umi felt her throat constrict. She barely nodded, feeling terrible that she hadn't notice whatever pain Kotori had—was going through.

"I'm, I'm okay you know." Kotori responded with a smile, knowing exactly what Umi was thinking.

"But—"

"I'm okay, Umi-chan. As long as I have you, I'll be fine." Kotori gave her another smile and Umi couldn't help but notice how forced it was. She frowned deeply before taking out a pencil and scribbling more words onto the paper furiously, earning a surprised look from the girl across from her.

" _Anemone heart; affection runs through my body._

 _I've never stopped wishing,_

 _But you can't hear me, can you?_

 _The tears of a flower blooming alone,_

 _Gaze at me more, I'm right here._

 _Acacia heart, my lonely heart,_

 _Let's believe in a dream that links us together."_

Umi stood up and moved over to where Kotori was before sitting down gently next to her. She gave the girl her notebook back and Kotori looked at the words in shock. She was even more surprised when she felt Umi's warm hand on her own. She shyly lifted her gaze up to see the chocolate eyes she adored so deeply.

"I am here for you, and I will always be until the very end." Kotori trembled at the words and leaned on Umi, who wrapped her arm around her shoulder to comfort her. Meanwhile, Kotori was having mixed feelings. Was those lyrics directed at her? Did she want to be more than friends? Or was she just overthinking it? What was the meaning behind her words? What about those flowers; was there any special meaning to it? Going for the safer route, Kotori decided to ask the last question.

"Anemone and acacia? Why flowers?" Kotori whispered, slowly relaxing into Umi's shoulder; if this was the closest she could get then she would spoil herself rotten. She didn't care if it would push her deeper into that dark abyss of grief. At least she would be able to look back and think of how close they were.

"The language of flowers is a beautiful thing. Anemone means forgotten or forsaken love and acacia symbolizes secret love. I believe the two represent the lyrics wonderfully." Kotori felt Umi's slightly deep voice rumble from her position, and she thought it was the most comfortable feeling she had ever felt. Despite this, she decided to pull away so she could ask an important question, which made Umi inwardly frown. Umi wanted to hold the girl in her arms more; she wanted to comfort the one she loved the most.

"D-Did you have someone in mind? You seemed to write those words pretty fast." Kotori asked and felt something within her heart ache when she saw Umi blush lightly.

"I, I do have someone in mind but I believe we feel the same; you did write about unrequited feelings." Umi responded, biting back the frown and ignoring the dull pain she felt. This time, Kotori let out a sheepish smile.

"That's true. It's okay though because the person I like only sees me as a friend so I'll get over it soon enough." She replied tonelessly and Umi frowned openly, making Kotori look at her in curiosity. "What's wrong, Umi-chan?"

"Nothing. It is just that I think that someone like you should not have to go through this type of pain. I ought to find that person and beat him up." Umi stated a bit angrily, almost growling but stopped when she saw Kotori's smile; it was fake and sad and so _miserable_.

"Umi-chan, I like a girl." She corrected in a quiet voice and Umi looked at her in surprise. This made Kotori tremble once more and she felt a barrage of tears coming out. Of course Umi would think she was weird for liking the same sex; the blue-haired girl was part of a traditional family for god's sake.

"I, I shouldn't have said anything. Now you'll think I'm weird for liking girls and now we can't be friends anymore and I'm sorry, I think I should go now—" Kotori rambled frantically, tears spilling out as she moved to get up but Umi caught her sleeve.

"Kotori! Wait! Please." Kotori froze and looked at her, her amber eyes filled with sadness. Umi used this chance to pull the girl down and hug her tightly before whispering, "I was just surprised, that was all. Regardless of what your sexual preference is, I would never leave you." Umi felt the girl whimper so she tightened her hold, using one arm to hug her and the other to rub her back comfortingly.

"Thank you, Umi-chan." Umi heard Kotori sniffle and pulled away slightly, much to her chagrin. She loved the feeling of Kotori in her arms.

"Of course. I would never leave my best friend over something trivial." Umi gave her a reassuring smile and Kotori smiled back, crushing the sorrow she felt when she heard the words "best friend". Kotori reluctantly pulled away from Umi, immediately missing her warmth, and wrote down one more phrase.

" _Even so, I'll wait for you."_

"That's the spirit." Umi felt herself smile lightly even though she felt her heart breaking, "Shall we take a break? We wrote down a lot today." Kotori nodded her head in agreement before she leaned into Umi once again, who started to blush heavily and stutter.

"K-Kotori—"

"Sh. The sound of your heartbeat calms me down." Kotori whispered softly and Umi felt her face turn darker. Despite this, she couldn't resist wrapping her arm around Kotori, pulling her closer.

"Anything you want, I will do in an instant."

The two stayed close to each other, relishing in the warmth they felt from each other. They ignored everything else—the ache in their hearts, the quietness of the house, and the soft pattering of the rain that had suddenly started. It was only when Umi's mother had come that they separated, blushing lightly. They went back to work, not noticing the knowing smile the older woman had on her face.

It seems like Kotori would be invited for dinner sometime soon.

* * *

"Wow. I did not expect the two of you to finish this in one day." Nico stated and the other girls looked at Kotori and Umi in surprise.

"Right, right? Rin thought they would take at most a couple days since they work well together but Rin didn't think it would be this quick, nya!" Everyone nodded in agreement and the two blushed; were they really that compatible? The two chose to ignore the question that immediately surfaced in their mind, not wanting to have any false hope.

"Alright, let's see how these lyrics are—" Nico started as she scanned the paper but didn't finish her sentence. She only whistled loudly before shaking her head, making Umi and Kotori look at her in worry.

"I-Is it not okay?" Kotori asked nervously but Nico shook her head once again, letting out a surprised laugh.

"No, no. This is actually really great. It's just that I didn't think the two of you would write a song filled with _so much_ sexual tension. I mean, wanting to monopolize someone? Wanting them to gaze at you more? I have to admit though, this song is pretty sad." Nico continued while reading the lyrics with her one of her eyebrows raised. Maki only scoffed before taking the papers out of her hands, ignoring the glare the shorter girl directed at her.

"Nico-chan, you're probably being overdramatic like al—" Maki said but stopped, blushing slightly at the lyrics. "Never mind."

"What? I'm curious now too!" Honoka exclaimed and took the paper. She raised her eyebrows and gave the two pointed looks. "Are you two okay?"

"O-Of course we are! Why wouldn't we be?" Umi asked, blushing lightly. Honoka waved it off, giving the two a sheepish smile.

"I-It's just that this song is a bit sad, that's all." Honoka stated but was thinking something completely different, "More importantly, the two of you weren't doing anything behind my back, right? Cause I can literally feel the sexual tension while reading this." Honoka wagged her eyebrows and ducked when Umi threw a pencil at her, laughing when she saw her death glare. Maki just groaned, hating how Honoka always strayed off topic.

"Nozomi, Eli, what about the two of you?" She asked impatiently, wanting to know how far they progressed. She was going to compose the music so if they were finished, it would be easier on her.

However, the two third years seemed unusually uncomfortable when the attention was brought upon them. Eli gave the girls an embarrassed smile while Nozomi laughed nervously, making the group of girls look at them in suspicion.

"Well, you see, we sort of got distracted and weren't able to write much. We do have some ideas down though!" Eli started but gave the girls a reassuring smile, her hands up in defense.

"Maybe we should have someone watch them so they're not goofing off at a parfait shop or something." Nico grumbled, giving the two a glare to which Eli and Nozomi shook their heads.

"I-It's nothing like that!" Nozomi said with a light blush on her face. Now this was a surprise; the twin-tailed girl never got embarrassed. Usually, it was the other way around.

"What an interesting development. Did the two of you do anything…shameless by any chance?" Nico teased with a shit-eating grin and was met with heavy resistance.

"W-What?! Of course not?!" The two shouted, blushing madly from embarrassment. Nico snickered, loving how she was able to catch Nozomi off-guard; she had been the subject of Nozomi's teasing for the longest time so it was nice to have the roles switched this time around.

"Nico-chan, stop that. As long as the two of you are done by the end of next week it should be fine." Maki scolded the shorter girl before talking to the two third years who were still blushing, "I've got an idea of what to do with Umi and Kotori's song and I have good progress on the others. If things go well, then we should be done with the new songs in two weeks and be able to practice them in three. By then, there would be a couple weeks for us to practice for the next live."

"Then let's take another break today so Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan can focus properly." Hanayo suggested, wanting there to be peace and everyone nodded in agreement except for one person.

"We will be practicing twice as hard tomorrow. We have been getting a lot of break days as of late." Umi glared at Honoka who grinned widely and gave her a salute.

"Roger!"

"I'll go work on the outfits at home now. See you all later!" Kotori announced and waved bye to the group of girls, giving them a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Nozomi, Eli, and Umi left soon after with the first two going to Nozomi's house to brainstorm and the latter going to archery practice. When they all left, everyone let out the sigh they were holding in.

"This is definitely a terrible development." Nico stated blandly and the girls nodded gravely.

"I should've known Umi-chan and Kotori-chan would be too dense to realize they were writing about each other. I could practically hear their fake smiles." Honoka complained as she banged her head on the table and Hanayo voiced her agreement.

"Something also happened between Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan. They were fidgety all the time like they didn't know how to act around one another." She noted and Maki groaned in exasperation.

"Why can't they all just confess to one another?"

"Says the one who couldn't take any hints." Nico grumbled and Maki glared at her.

"You're never going to let that go, aren't you?"

"Of course not. The Soldier Game Trio really are a bunch of oblivious idiots." This made Honoka snicker, which in turn made Maki direct her glare at her.

"Really? Not you too."

"It's so true though."

"What should we do now though, nya?" Rin questioned, making Nico sigh heavily.

"Nothing. This is something that they must do on their own." However, Nico's frown slowly turned into a smirk.

"A couple pushes wouldn't hurt though." Maki shuddered at the smirks the three girls had (Hanayo wasn't that type of person).

' _Nozomi, Eli, I hope you get through this so you don't have to face whatever the hell those three crazy girls have in mind.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**Garden of Glass: The Making**

The walk to Nozomi's house was unpleasantly silent and awkward. Usually, Nozomi would talk about any interesting things she noticed but she kept quiet, choosing to stare at the ground as they walked. Eli would also talk about her day but didn't voice her thoughts this time, deciding to focus on the path ahead of them. When they reached Nozomi's small apartment, the two went inside, one with a forced smile and another with a slight frown.

"I'm home." Nozomi casually said yet Eli heard the loneliness of her tone. She reached out to hold her hand, giving it a sympathetic squeeze before moving to take her shoes off. Nozomi was grateful for the comfort but still felt somber because it wasn't the type of contact she wanted.

"Do you want any tea?" Nozomi asked and Eli responded with a small smile, nodding her head in appreciation. Nozomi went to the kitchen and prepared some before going back to the table Eli was situated at.

The two stared down at their cups, unmoving and quiet. Their thoughts drifted to the memory of what had happened last night, of what secrets had spilled.

"So, who was this person you liked?" Eli started softly, breaking the tension. Nozomi looked up to see the blue eyes she loved, at how gloomy it seemed, "I just wish you told me sooner, you know. We _are_ best friends."

"But the same goes for you, Elichi." Nozomi replied and held back the frown that was about to form. She raised an eyebrow when Eli turned red slightly before averting her eyes.

"I'm not going to confess." Her voice was hushed but Nozomi still caught it—caught how miserable it sounded. "I don't know what to do but honestly, you're all I need. If secrets like these will strain our relationship, then I'd rather just forget about her."

Nozomi's grip tightened on her cup when she felt her heart beat faster but she forced herself to calm down. She raised it and took a sip, relishing at how it seemed to make her relax. She thought back to what happened the night before—about how both her and Eli spilled that they liked someone, a girl no less. There were countless tears, broken voices, but most importantly comforting hugs.

' _Even though it's not the type of hug I wanted.'_ Nozomi thought before inwardly shaking her head, not wanting to think those types of thoughts.

"I feel the same too." Nozomi admitted and she looked up to see Eli's intense stare. She shot the younger girl a smile, hating how forced it felt, "My friendship with you is more important in my opinion." She ignored how her heart ached and brought the cup up to her lips to drink more tea.

However, she didn't notice Eli move up from her seat and end up behind her. She only realized it when she set her cup down and felt Eli hug her from behind. Her mind immediately overcome with thoughts of the blonde, thinking about how tantalizing Eli's scent was, how her breasts felt against her back, and how close her mouth was; she felt Eli's shaky breath tickling her neck.

"I'm always here for you." She heard the girl whisper and Nozomi's let out a real, genuine smile even though there were traces of sadness. She leaned back into the blonde and eased into her embrace, breathing deeply; she loved her fragrance. It was sweet and comforting much like the person itself.

Moments after, Eli broke it off, coughing a bit nervously. Nozomi sent her an amused smile, giggling lightly at how Eli smiled sheepishly, knowing that she was somewhat embarrassed. This was a scene Nozomi would often see after teasing too much, and it was one that was seen only by her.

' _For now…'_

"We should get started on writing the lyrics." Nozomi said, ignoring what she had thought seconds before and Eli nodded in agreement, smiling that the tension had somewhat eased. Nozomi got up and the two situated themselves on her couch, sitting close together as usual. Eli had the pencil while Nozomi held the notepad.

"Any ideas?" Nozomi asked and Eli hummed in response, thinking a bit before she motioned for Nozomi to give her the notepad. Nozomi couldn't help but notice the slight blush Eli had on and giggled lightly at how cute it was. She scooted closer to the blonde, resting her head on her shoulder while the girl kept scribbling. Suddenly, Eli shoved the notepad back to Nozomi, who took her head off of Eli's shoulder in surprise. She gave her a questioning look but was rewarded with silence and the deepening of Eli's blush. This made her look down to look at Eli wrote and Nozomi felt her face become red.

" _When your eyes filled with longing,_

 _Are searching far away,_

 _I feel such loneliness,_

 _And want to tell you I'm right here."_

Nozomi gave Eli a pointed look, making the blonde blush deeper. Giggling lightly, Nozomi reached over to take the pencil from Eli's hands, making sure to purposely brush her fingers against hers, before she started to write words of her own. She inwardly smirked when she saw Eli blush harder, thinking that she would just have to flirt with Eli so that she would forget about whoever she liked and focus more on her.

Meanwhile, Eli thought her heart was beating loud enough that Nozomi could hear it. It certainly didn't help when the purple-haired girl rested her head on her shoulder again. Eli closed her eyes, silently enjoying the close contact while willing her heart to calm down. They opened once more when she felt the notepad on her hands. She looked at Nozomi, who gave her a warm smile, before looking at what the girl had written. Her blue eyes opened slightly in shock and she faintly heard the soft giggles from the girl beside her.

" _So that your heart I wish to capture,_

 _Won't go anywhere,_

 _Please stay with me forever,_

 _It's lonely._

 _The two of us; let's go to the Garden of Glass."_

Eli raised an eyebrow at the words, crushing any false hope that the lyrics were directed at her. She looked down at Nozomi, who looked up to her with one of her gentle smiles, and gently asked for the pencil. Nozomi gave it to her and Eli felt her fingers touch hers once again. She ignored the tingling sensation she felt and chose instead to focus on a different feeling—one of warmth. In fact, Eli couldn't believe how she didn't turn as red as a tomato when Nozomi rested her head on her shoulder; the two girls were close but rarely got this intimate together. Slapping herself inwardly, Eli tried to focus and started to scribble down what she felt, blushing slightly at how forward it seemed.

While this was happening, Nozomi was content. Lonely, but still content. She knew that Eli had someone in mind right now and that she was probably writing about her just like she was writing about the blonde but Eli's shoulder was comfortable. She wanted to rub her head against it like Rin but fought the temptation, thinking that it would seem too forward. Any more thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of Eli handing her a notepad. Nozomi looked up to see the blonde focusing on what was in front of her, her blush gradually becoming darker. Nozomi giggled softly at the sight before proceeding to read what Eli wrote.

" _On our secret swing,_

 _Swinging with you right now,_

 _Just gazing at each other softly,_

 _There's no one else; we don't need anyone else._

 _A girl who has fallen in love with love; her sigh is,_

 _Lonely, contented and lonely."_

Nozomi couldn't help but freeze in shock before letting out a miserable smile. The realization that Eli couldn't be talking about her hit her hard. She must have been talking about something in the past, something she probably did with the girl she loved. Nozomi didn't remember anything about sharing a swing so Eli definitely wasn't talking about her. She felt that her hopes had been crushed and fought back a deep sigh. She moved to take the pencil from Eli's hand, making sure that she didn't initiate contact this time. She ignored how Eli tilted her head in slight confusion and instead focused on writing out her feelings.

" _Our secret romance,_

 _And even though I want to feel you,_

 _All we could do is painfully gaze at each other._

 _These feelings we can't have as girls who are in love with love,_

 _Why do they have to be so painful?_

 _A maze of dreams… A maze of lilies."_

She handed the notebook to Eli, who immediately read the contents. What she didn't expect was the somber look that appeared on her face.

While Nozomi was thinking about why Eli suddenly started to look solemn, Eli was thinking about who Nozomi liked. Her thoughts were everywhere: was Nozomi dating someone? Why else would she talk about painfully looking at each other? But then Nozomi would have told her that she was in a relationship. What the hell did those words mean?

Eli strengthened her resolve and stopped thinking about those questions; their relationship was strong enough for Eli to trust Nozomi unconditionally so there was no reason for her to stop now. She moved her right hand and leaned over slightly to take the pencil in Nozomi's hand, making sure that this time she was the one who brushed her fingers slightly. She let out a small smile when she saw the slight shock of her best friend in the corner of her eye and wrote one phrase down in the notepad before handing both to Nozomi, whose expression changed to that of questioning. Eli only responded with a gentle smile, the kind that had Nozomi's heart racing.

Nozomi read the line and noticed that the writing had noticeably become darker after the fourth word. Eliminating the thought that Eli was writing about her, Nozomi wrote down one last phrase and handed the notepad to Eli, who read the line and blushed lightly.

" _We'll fall asleep in_ _ **our flower garden**_ _,_

 _I love_ _ **your hand**_ _as it strokes_ _ **my hair**_ _."_

Eli gently, but swiftly took the pencil from Nozomi's hand and added a word to what Nozomi wrote before giving the notepad back to her. Nozomi blushed when she saw the addition.

" _I love_ _ **your hand**_ _as it strokes_ _ **my hair**_ _;_ _ **more**_ _..."_

Nozomi gave Eli a questionable look but the blonde wouldn't meet her eyes. It was only when Nozomi tugged on Eli's sleeve that she made eye contact with Nozomi and when she did, she became lost in Nozomi's glistening emerald eyes, her thoughts filled with how beautiful they were. The contact was broken when Nozomi looked away and rested her head on Eli's shoulder, nuzzling her head as she tried to get into a comfortable position. Nozomi was about to speak up but Eli's phone rang. Nozomi reluctantly pulled away from the blonde who reached over to her bag to get her phone.

"Arisa? Yeah I'm at Nozomi's place again."

"I'm sorry; I didn't realize what time it was. I'll be home in half an hour, we're almost finished."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

Eli put her phone away and turned around, seeing the apologetic smile from Nozomi. Eli shook her head and went back to her original position, forcing Nozomi on her shoulder once again but this time, she put her arm around her shoulder, squeezing it in comfort.

" _Don't worry, I'm not leaving."_ was what Eli's body language said. Nozomi let out a relieved smile and burrowed herself deeper into Eli's arms.

" _Thank you."_

The two spent the rest of their time together in that position, comforting each other with the warmth they received from the one that they loved. But as the night grew darker and the air became colder, emerald eyes softened in disappointment and melancholy with the realization of being left alone once again. It was only when they met with blue, loving eyes that those feelings were erased and replaced with other emotions—gratefulness, happiness, and love. It was only then that those emerald eyes closed with ease, content with what was currently happening.

If love got in the way of Nozomi's friendship with Eli, then she would eradicate it from the very roots as long as she got to see those blue, comforting eyes. With that thought in her head, Nozomi fell asleep, dreaming about lying next to her love in a secret garden while holding hands. The last thing she remembered was the feverish warmth overflowing her body and the sound of a promise uttered in a soft, serene voice.

"We'll be best friends until the world ends."

* * *

 _The Next Day_

When Nozomi came to school in the morning, she saw something really weird.

"Nicochi, what are you doing?" Nozomi asked with confusion; Nico was at her locker with something in her hand. The shorter girl jumped in surprise and hid whatever she was holding behind her back, smiling nervously.

"N-Nothing!" Before Nozomi could use her infamous punishment to get a proper answer, Honoka came by with a tense grin on her face.

"Nico-chan, I was looking for you! Oh, good morning Nozomi-chan! Sorry but I need to borrow Nico-chan real quick." The two girls quickly left, leaving Nozomi raise her eyebrow curiously.

"What was that about?"

Meanwhile, Honoka was with Nico and Rin in an empty classroom. The three girls were scribbling on a piece of paper and arguing noisily.

"I told you something like that wouldn't work!" Nico said with a frown, "There's also the fact that Eli gets love letters every day; it'd probably be mixed with them."

"Not to mention she would probably recognize Nozomi's handwriting, nya!" Rin added and Honoka groaned loudly.

"What should we do then? And please don't tell me we're going to try the things Nico-chan wrote down."

"And what's so bad about my plan?"

"I doubt Eli-chan would agree to a Truth or Dare game. That, and it'd be impossible to lock them in a closet since it's against the rules."

"Honoka-chan actually knows a school rule, nya?"

"Of course I have too! Umi-chan made me since Eli-chan suggested that I should be the next Student Council President." Nico rubbed her temples; they weren't getting anywhere and the bell was going to ring soon.

"Okay how about this: you and I try to drop hints to those idiots during class. Then, during break we can try something again."

"Alright, alright. Rin-chan, try to think of something in the meantime then."

"Roger, nya!"

 _With Nico_

"Hey Nicochi, what were you doing at my locker earlier?" Nozomi asked when Nico walked into the class, making Eli look at her suspiciously.

"I was, uh, looking for something I dropped." Nico lied and the look on Nozomi's face showed that she didn't believe her so she continued talking, "But never mind that. Hey look at this." Nico grasped Eli's blazer and Nozomi raised an eyebrow.

"What about it?" Nico put on her best neutral face when Eli and Nozomi looked at her weirdly.

"Isn't this made of girlfriend material?" Eli's eyes widened in shock while Nozomi held back the snort that was coming up. Nico inwardly banged her head on an invisible wall; was this the best she could do?

"Nicochi, we're all wearing the same type of blazer."

"T-That's not what I'm getting at."

"Oh? Then what are you getting at, Nicochi?" Nozomi asked with an amused smile while Eli gritted her teeth. Nico took the hint and took her hand off, smiling sheepishly.

"W-Well, wouldn't you think that if Eli were words on a page, she'd be known as fine print?"

Nozomi laughed loudly at that one, making their other classmates look at them. By then, Eli's eyes closed in irritation and Nico wished she could dig a hole and bury herself with it. Before the three could respond, the bell rang so Nico went to her seat, which was near the back and not anywhere close to the two girls.

 _'What the hell was I thinking? It's impossible to embarrass these two.'_ Nico thought as she groaned lightly. _'I hope Rin thinks of something good because I definitely won't be successful.'_

 _With Honoka_

"Are you okay Honoka-chan? You seem a bit more energetic than usual this morning." Kotori asked and Honoka gave her a bright smile.

"I'm doing great actually! Hey Kotori-chan, can I ask you something?" Honoka replied and Kotori nodded her head, "Are you a flower?" Kotori looked at Honoka with confusion, tilting her head slightly while Umi gave Honoka a deadpan look but before Kotori could even reply, Honoka pointed her finger to Umi with a wide grin.

"Cause this honeybee is gonna suck you dry!"

Kotori felt heat rush into her cheeks while Umi immediately chopped Honoka on the head, her chocolate eyes glazed with fury and shock. Honoka let out a yelp and nursed her wound, pouting childishly.

"Why are you saying such shameless things?"

"Eh? Isn't it the truth though?" Honoka laughed when Umi couldn't reply because she was too flustered, "I mean like Kotori-chan is so cute she puts the cute in execute, don't you think Umi-chan? I know I wouldn't _egret_ her executing me." Someone heard Honoka's bird pun and laughed to which Honoka responded with a snicker.

"Honoka!"

"Like if her body was a temple, wouldn't you want to be a priestess?" Honoka laughed even louder when she saw steam coming out of Umi's ears. On the other hand, Kotori shrunk in her seat, not used to these statements but wondering why Umi wasn't denying anything. Umi just sat in her seat, blushing madly with shock and embarrassment.

Before Umi could punish Honoka again, the bell rang. Honoka had a window seat with Kotori next to her while Umi sat in front of Kotori. During class, Honoka kept passing notes with horrendous puns to both Umi and Kotori until they were dismissed for lunch. Not wanting to face Umi's wrath, Honoka rushed out of the classroom and met up with Nico and Rin.

"Hey guys! How'd you do on your end Nico-chan?" Honoka exclaimed with a grin and Nico frowned.

"With people like Eli and Nozomi? Not so well." She grumbled before continuing, "I'm guessing you did pretty good since you're so excited."

"Yep! Umi-chan got all embarrassed when I started using puns on Kotori-chan so I'm sure Kotori-chan is getting curious as to why by now. Did you think of anything good, Rin-chan?" Honoka explained before directing her question to the orange-haired girl, who grinned mischievously.

"The bestest plan ever, nya! Kayo-chin helped me too but she's busy with the alpacas right now. Here's how it goes, we douse Nozomi-chan and Kotori-chan with water so their uniform becomes see—" Rin explained excitedly but the door was suddenly slammed open. The three girls froze and turned slowly to see an irritated redhead at the doorway.

"I should have known you three idiots were up to something! Umi is on a rampage at the archery club room, Kotori is even more out of it, Eli is glaring at everyone, and Nozomi won't stop teasing me about how hopeless you are Nico-chan!" The redhead said furiously and her violet eyes were glistening with anger, "What do the three of you think you're doing?"

"Trying to get those four to make progress on their relationship, nya?" Rin answered hesitantly and Maki groaned in exasperation.

"You three stop whatever you're doing and leave them alone. They can get through this themselves."

"But Maki-chan~"

"No. If you don't stop then I'll tell Nozomi that you stole her yakiniku from when we ate at the restaurant last week."

"You wouldn't!" Nico gasped and Maki glared at her. At realizing that the redhead was completely serious, the Idiot Trio sighed deeply and dispersed.

It looks like they would have to wait until after school to try something again.

* * *

When the bell rang for school to be over, Muse met up at the Idol Research club room instead of going to the roof. They decided to meet in the club room until Nozomi and Eli were done with their lyrics. If they weren't, then they would go straight to the rooftop to practice. If they were, then the group would review the lyrics and take the day off so Maki could think of some ideas as to what type of music she would compose.

"So, have the two of you made any progress?" Nico asked with a hint of a smirk and Maki almost snorted at the double meaning. Rin caught her expression and giggled, making Hanayo look at her curiously. Rin just shook her head and shot Nico a discreet sign; she was able to take a picture of the redhead at the perfect moment. Nico flashed the girl a thumbs-up below the table.

"Yes." Eli replied and handed over the papers to Nico with Maki standing next to her once again, leaning over to read the papers. How she didn't notice Rin and Nico's exchange was incredulous in Hanayo's opinion. On the other hand, the group of girls delightfully noted that the awkward atmosphere between the two third years was gone and that they were both comfortably sitting next to each other.

"Wow…" Nico voice rang out and the girls shifted their attention to her in curiosity. They saw Maki's face redden as she suddenly straightened and turned around, making their interest skyrocket.

"What's up?" Honoka asked and Nico shook her head slightly, her eyes tearing up.

"Are you okay, Nico-chan?" Hanayo asked worriedly while Eli and Nozomi sweatdropped.

"I, I'm fine. I really gotta hand it to these two though." Nico sniffed before continuing, "This is saddest, most gayest song I've ever seen." There was an awkward silence and a complete lack of reaction after that, making Nico's eye twitch.

"Don't believe me? Read it yourself!" She handed the paper over to Rin and Hanayo. Hanayo started to tear up while Rin blushed lightly.

"Wanting to feel you? Gazing at each other softly? This is really cheesy, nya!" Rin exclaimed, making Eli groan and put her hands over her face in embarrassment while Nozomi fidgeted nervously.

"Lemme take a look too!" Honoka exclaimed and took the papers. Like the others, she was speechless. Unlike the others, she grinned widely.

"It's missing something." She commented, making Eli and Nozomi tilt their heads in confusion. Honoka inwardly snickered as she took out a pencil and wrote a phrase under a line, "See? If it was in English, then this would make the song so much better!" She handed the paper back to the two girls who immediately became flustered.

"Honoka!" Eli yelled, her face red with embarrassment. Honoka started laughing, which made Nico take the papers back in curiosity. She started laughing loudly too, giving the other girl a high five.

"Really? I want to see…" Kotori said and the two gave the papers to her. She and Umi read it and had the same reaction as Rin and Hanayo; Kotori was tearing up while Umi was blushing lightly. But being the more mature ones of the group, they ignored how Honoka added the phrase "A maze of Elis" in English under the actual lyrics.

"Kotori-chan, Umi-chan, at least react to my intelligence!" Honoka complained with a pout but Umi ignored her, looking at the blonde across from her and giving her a pointed look.

"Are the two of you—" She started but the two girls immediately interrupted her.

"No!" They both shouted but realized that they were too loud. Eli sat back down on her seat properly while Nozomi looked down to her lap.

"We're just friends." Eli responded in a softer voice and Nozomi nodded silently in agreement.

The rest of the girls shared knowing looks and held back a sigh. Honoka noticed that the tension between the two girls was back up again even though she tried to keep things relaxed and decided that it would be best if the meeting ended early so the two could spend some time together.

"Alright, let's end this early so Maki-chan can do some composing." The girls chorused their agreement.

"I will be going to go to the archery club then. They requested my help earlier."

"I'm going to finish some designs so I'll be going home early; I left my notebook there."

"I'll walk you to the front of the school then, Kotori."

"Eh? That isn't necessary Umi-chan."

"It's okay; I have the day off today. They just need my opinion on some things so it shouldn't take long."

"Then I'll wait for you so we can walk together."

"Alright."

"Arisa texted me earlier that she needed help with something."

"I'll be going to the shrine then."

"Ah, wait Nozomi! I'll walk you there."

"Hm? Following Umi-chan's example, Elichi? That's not original at all."

"T-That's not it! We usually walk together anyways."

"Alright, but what about Arisa-chan?"

"She said it wasn't that important so she can wait for a bit."

"If you say so, Elichi."

With that, the four girls were out of the club room and the rest of the occupants let out various noises of complaints.

"Oh my god, right when I thought those two got together!" Nico groaned loudly, slumping into her seat, "Those really were the gayest lyrics I have ever seen in my entire life. And I've been following idols since the dawn of time."

"Why is it so hard for them to get together?" Hanayo wondered with genuine curiosity, making Honoka sigh deeply.

"Those four value their friendship above anything else. They're trapped by the fear that if they say something, everything will change and not necessarily in a good way." She explained and Hanayo frowned slightly.

"What should we do then?"

"Nothing." Everyone looked at Maki curiously and she started to twirl her hair in embarrassment, "I mean outside interference will only agitate things. Look at what happened when Honoka teased Umi too much." Honoka grinned sheepishly at this; all her pickup lines on Kotori led to Umi going crazy during lunch. Fortunately, she was able to calm down when break was over.

"I hope they get together soon, nya." Rin uncharacteristically frowned and everyone nodded in agreement.

It was not only for the sake of Muse but also for the sake of their four friends who deserved to be happy.

* * *

 **AN:** I hope NozoEli and the Idiot Trio weren't too OOC. Other than that, the inevitable Live and performances will be coming up and this time, our four oblivious girls will finally catch some luck.

Update: For some reason, the update date wasn't updating. Other than that, while I was in the middle of writing the last part to this story, I thought of adding an extra chapter that shows how their relationships develop after the Live. I might add some nsfw scenes if it's requested enough but those are hard to write x.x Other than that, criticisms are much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**The Live**

"The two of you have absolutely nothing to worry about!" Nico practically screamed at who she was talking to and huffed angrily when she was met with no response. She groaned noisily before dragging Maki, who was coincidentally walking by, over.

"What are you doing?" The redhead grumbled and Nico shot her an exasperated look.

"These two seriously don't understand that there is _nothing_ going on between Eli and Umi." Nico elaborated in frustration before continuing, "Help me out, will you?" Maki inwardly groaned when Nico gave her the puppy eyes; it was something she could never resist ever since they had started dating weeks ago and Nico made sure to take advantage of it.

"She's right; the two of you are fretting over something nonexistent." Maki reassured although the two girls noticed the irritation in her eyes.

Kotori only frowned while Nozomi kept quiet, looking over to the stage. Eli and Umi were currently performing "Storm in Lover", their voices filled with incredible passion as they swayed their hips to the beat. The crowd chanting their shipping name didn't do any better. It took Maki and Nico seconds to realize that the two didn't believe them at all so they groaned loudly.

"Oh my god, look they're not even dancing with each other or some shit! They're just _standing_ next to each other!" Nico exclaimed in annoyance and Maki nodded her head in agreement.

"They don't even look at each other at all. The two of you are seriously just over thinking things." Maki added and the other two girls let out a deep sigh.

"I don't know why, but I keep thinking that Umi-chan wrote this song for Eli-chan. The two have gotten closer after the song was created after all. Sometimes I would even catch her blushing at something Eli-chan said whenever they talk." Kotori confessed, her frown growing deeper while Nozomi bit her lip anxiously. The older girl took one last glace at the stage before turning to Maki and Nico.

"Not to mention, Elichi keeps giving me these mixed signs. One second she would flirt with me and the next she's next to Umi talking about whatever. And she refuses to tell me what they were talking about." Nozomi grumbled and they were surprised that they could hear her over the loud music. At this response, Maki and Nico both slapped themselves on the face, thinking about how dumb Eli and Umi were. It was their entire fault—if they hadn't acted shady and clarified their actions then this mess wouldn't have happened.

"Trust me; you two really have nothing to worry about. Whatever they were talking about is _not_ what you think it is and if you doubt me just pay closer attention to them the next time they talk to you." Nico said once again, giving the two comforting hugs before turning to Maki, "Let's go practice. Kotori and Umi will be up soon then Eli and Nozomi. We'll be going after them."

The two girls heard Maki mumble something before seeing the redhead take the shorter girl's hand, walking in the direction of the dressing rooms. There was one for each of the members since the venue they were at was fairly big and the backstage was even more spacious.

"Make sure to lock the door!" Nozomi called out and ducked, giggling when Nico had miraculously gotten a pair of shoes to throw at her. Kotori giggled with her and the two looked at each other in comfort and understanding, a warm smile forming on their faces.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything." The two heard a deep voice and broke off their stare, looking at who had spoken.

Kotori blushed when she saw Umi, lightly sweating in the sort of revealing costume she made. Umi was slightly panting, which wasn't a surprise since the song she sang made use of her more powerful vocals. Kotori also noticed the hurt expression come and go from her best friend's face, which made her wonder where her anxiousness originated from. This time Kotori took the hint, which she never would have gotten if it weren't for Nico and Maki's insistent reassurance, and gave the blue-haired girl a gentle smile before grabbing her hand.

"You should change for our performance, Umi-chan. Let's hurry!" Kotori responded, purposely not answering Umi's question. She didn't let Umi reply as she dragged her over to the dressing rooms were and Nozomi would've been confused if she hadn't seen the mischievous glint in Kotori's eyes.

"K-Kotori!" Umi managed to protest when they went inside Umi's dressing room, making Kotori giggle once more.

"What's the matter Umi-chan?" Kotori asked, her amber eyes twinkling brightly as she quietly locked the door behind them. Umi didn't seem to notice since she was too focused on what just happened.

"You did not answer my question." Umi replied, rubbing her wrist with a frown.

"That's because it was a silly one." Kotori answered honestly and moved closer to the blue-haired girl with an apologetic smile. She gently grabbed Umi's wrist and rubbed it comfortingly, making the older girl blush.

"Sorry about that. I didn't think I grabbed you that hard." Kotori continued before pulling the girl once again but softly this time, "Come on, you really need to change. We'll be up in a couple minutes."

However, Umi found herself speechless when Kotori went inside with her. The ashen-haired girl innocently handed her the outfit she was supposed to change to, which was a tight deep blue dress that revealed part of her back and was designed with white floral print. At seeing the startled expression on Umi's face, Kotori tilted her head slightly with well-hidden mischief.

"What's wrong Umi-chan?" Kotori moved closer when Umi didn't respond.

"Uh, I, uh, well, uh." Umi stuttered before closing her eyes and turning her head away, "I thought the point of having our own dressing rooms was for privacy." Kotori giggled at Umi's uncomfortable reaction.

"I know. Now come on and get changed!"

"How can I when you are here?!" Umi replied, opening her eyes and looking at Kotori in disbelief.

"Well, we're girls so that doesn't matter," Kotori responded softly and giggled again when Umi's face turned a darker shade of red, "but if you're too embarrassed I'll turn around." Kotori let out an amused smile when she saw Umi nod silently and turned around. Kotori was already in her outfit, which was a matching white tight dress with green floral print that also revealed her back, so she didn't need to change. However, Umi seemed to be taking too much time so Kotori turned around only to muffle a gasp.

Umi seemed to be struggling with the strap at the top but that wasn't the point. It was seeing the archer's fit arms and beautiful back flex that made Kotori's heart beat faster; she knew the older girl had a lean figure after all the exercise she did for both the idol group and archery but she had never seen it so exposed. Meanwhile, Umi didn't hear Kotori sneaking closer because her eyes were closed in frustration. It was only when she felt Kotori's fingers on top of her own that she opened her eyes and took in a sharp breath.

Umi drifted her bronze eyes to the mirror in front of her, seeing Kotori tying her dress. She let out an audible gulp when she saw Kotori's face, which was lightly red from embarrassment. Umi bit her lip when her chocolate eyes met amber ones, which were darkened with desire.

"Umi-chan…" Umi felt Kotori hug her from behind and stiffened up. Her heart was pounding so fast that she thought that it was about to burst.

"Umi-chan…" Umi heard the tantalizing whisper and leaned her forehead against the wall, feeling weak all of a sudden. Unexpectedly, soft lips were on her back and Umi let out a small moan when they started to move.

"Umi-chan, onegai…"

Umi couldn't handle it anymore. She turned around and pulled the Kotori into her arms before pressing her lips against hers. She lowered her hands down to Kotori's waist while Kotori snaked her hands around Umi's neck, tangling them with her blue locks. Kotori tilted her head and pressed harder, making Umi's back hit the wall behind her. When she felt Umi's hands roam around her back, she let out a soft moan; she felt as if the lyricist's fingers left a path of fire in its wake. The two continued their passionate kiss until they heard a knock on the door.

"Sonoda-san! Minami-san! The two of you will be up in about two minutes!"

Much to her chagrin, Umi pulled away. However, she didn't let go of Kotori, who resorted to leaning her head on Umi's shoulder because she was blushing madly from embarrassment.

"We should get going—" Kotori started but stopped when she felt Umi's finger lift her chin up.

"Not yet. I want this to be clear," Umi said with a light blush and Kotori's eyes widened. Umi then used her free hand to grab one of Kotori's before brushing her lips on them like a prince.

"I have been wanting to say this for a while now and I was planning for a more opportune moment but with what just happened right now, I might as well say it. I love you Kotori, and I have been feeling this way ever since the day you almost left."

Kotori eyes widened and she felt as if she was going to burst with happiness. She pulled Umi into a tight embrace, nuzzling her head at the crook of her neck before pulling back and giving her a short but sweet kiss.

"Umi-chan, I'm so sorry about what happened then; it pained me so much to tell you and I'm glad Honoka-chan was able to convince me not to leave. She told me back then not to leave because the two of you would become devastated and I know that that's the last thing I want you to be feeling. I'm so happy right now, Umi-chan, because I love you so much."

Umi's eyes softened with adoration, loving how blissful Kotori looked at the moment. She took hold of one of her hands again and used the other to caress Kotori's cheek, gazing at the bright amber eyes that she loved dearly but suddenly widened her eyes.

"I-It is shameless that we kissed before our first date…" Umi stuttered as she took in what just happened, making Kotori giggle, "so shall we go out for dinner tomorrow?" Oh, so she could still be smooth; how surprising.

"I would love to Umi-chan." Kotori answered and brushed her nose with Umi's, feeling giddy when she saw how red the other girl was. She pulled Umi into another kiss and she felt Umi's strong arms wrap around her waist again. She was about to move her hands up to run them through Umi's hair but they were interrupted once again.

"Sonoda-san! Minami-san! Please get to the stage as soon as you can!"

The two immediately broke apart, realizing that they still had to perform. This time, Umi was the one pulling Kotori, gently but swiftly maneuvering themselves to get to the stage and once they did, they were immediately ushered to take their positions. Umi took one last glace at Kotori, giving the girl a small smile who in turn gave her a warm one. The two then moved to look at the audience who brightened up the stage with blue and gray lightsticks.

The last thing they heard before the music started was the deafening chant of the crowd roaring one word: KotoUmi.

* * *

Seconds after Kotori and Umi had left, Nozomi saw Eli's eyebrow rise from the corner of her eye, making her giggle lightly. She caught the jealous look Eli had on this time and like Kotori, it was only because of Nico and Maki's persistence in reassuring her that the blonde didn't think of Umi like that. So, Nozomi walked over to where Eli was and wrapped her hands around her arm, knowing that the blonde would get embarrassed.

"N-Nozomi!" Eli protested but her voice died down when she saw the purple-haired girl's pout.

"You're silly if you think something is going on between me and Kotori." Nozomi answered the unasked question, grinning when the blonde blushed in embarrassment. She knew she hit the nail spot on.

"The two of you were looking at each other with—"

"Understanding, Elichi." Nozomi interrupted, laughing when the blonde turned even redder. "You should go change too. Come on, let's go."

Nozomi led Eli over to where their dressing room was. While Eli was changing, Nozomi thought it would be best if she made the next move. She gained some confidence after seeing the jealous look on her best friend's face and knew that she should use it before it went away.

"Why were you worried?" Nozomi inquired and she heard the rustling from behind the curtains stop before it started moving again. She knew that Eli's response to this would be the answer to whether the blonde liked her or not.

"I, I was just wondering if Kotori was the one on your mind." Nozomi heard Eli's unusually timid voice and giggled lightly. Not caring if the blonde was still half naked, Nozomi pushed open the curtains quickly and swiftly went inside, making her best friend protest loudly.

"N-Nozomi, what the—" Eli promptly shut up when she felt Nozomi's fingers on her lips, motioning for her to be quiet. Eli blushed hard when she realized that her shirt was still half on, and her face became more flushed when Nozomi decided to button it up for her.

"If you really want to know who's on my mind," Nozomi whispered in a sultry manner, pushing herself closer to Eli, "then I'll tell you." After she buttoned up Eli's blouse, she snaked her arms around her neck, moving her lips to Eli's ear.

"It's you."

Eli froze completely. After a moment, she blinked rapidly and moved to pinch herself, making Nozomi giggle softly at her antics. However, Eli stopped doing whatever she was doing when she felt Nozomi's lips brush her neck.

"What about you, Elichi?" The devious girl asked softly and Eli looked down, taking an audible gulp. It was probably the worst idea she had since she accidentally tried to eat that plastic chocolate in front of Nozomi years ago.

Eli saw Nozomi's playful green eyes and that her blouse had a couple buttons unbuttoned, exposing the milky flesh she had wanted to explore since she realized her feelings for her best friend. Her eyes drifted up to the lips she had been dreaming of, her thoughts filled with how soft it would feel against hers. It was only when said lips formed into a smirk that Eli realized what Nozomi was getting at. Wanting to turn things around, Eli gave the girl a smirk of her own before twisting herself so that their positions were reversed; Nozomi had her back to the wall while Eli pushed against her.

Nozomi's eyes widened in shock as she let out a quiet gasp. She just wanted to tease Eli, thinking that the girl would become embarrassed as usual. She didn't think that pushing the blonde's buttons would actually lead to her being honest. There was also the fact that Eli would flirt with her every now and then; she thought that Eli would have be able to handle her actions.

"Seducing me, are you? You're a naughty girl, Nozomi." Eli responded, her tone noticeably deeper than usual. Nozomi bit her lip at the sound; it sounded extremely sensual and _absolutely sexy_.

"Looks like you're lucky however, since the person who has been on my mind these past months is you too." Eli confessed with a soft voice and Nozomi's eyes widened. She looked up and saw Eli's blue eyes filled with honesty and desire. Not wanting to wait any longer, she reached up and slammed her lips against Eli's, moaning softly when the other forced her tongue into her mouth. Eli snaked her hands around Nozomi's waist, pushing herself closer to the shorter girl while tilting her head to get deeper access into her mouth making Nozomi let out a particularly loud moan, especially when Eli moved downwards to bite her bottom lip before moving back up to kiss her again. Every emotion they bottled up—frustration, passion, desire—was incorporated into the kiss. The two were about to go further but were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Ayase-san! Sonoda-san and Minami-san will be going up soon! Please get ready as soon as possible!"

Despite the disruption, they didn't separate. Eli made no move to get off from her position, choosing to lean her forehead on Nozomi's and stare lovingly at the emerald eyes she adored while Nozomi smiled gently at the realization that her love really was reciprocated. It was only when Nico started banging on their door and screaming that they separated and went outside.

"The two of you sure took your time." Nico grumbled and Nozomi snickered while Eli blushed lightly.

"I don't want to hear that from the one who has a hickey on her neck." Nozomi replied with a teasing smile and Nico's eyes went in alarm before she hit Maki on the head. The redhead immediately nursed the area where the blow struck and glared at the shorter girl.

"What the hell—"

"Don't what the hell me! I told you not to leave a mark!"

"And I didn't!"

Nico's eyes widened in shock and she turned to Nozomi, who was still snickering at the two. Maki groaned, immediately realizing what was going on and started to walk away.

"You guys suck."

"Nice going big tits, now Maki-chan is angry." Nico grumbled before turning around to catch up to the redhead and ignored the glare from Eli.

"You can always kiss and make up!" Nozomi called out and ducked, laughing when Nico had thrown some clothes at her.

"Calm down now." Eli told Nozomi and held her hand, "Kotori and Umi are starting."

True to Eli's word, "Anemone Heart" started to play and the crowd cheered relentlessly as the two performed. What the crowd didn't notice, however, was how tense Umi was. Or the sneaky glances the two gave each other. Or how they weren't following their choreography. The two backstage only noticed because they had seen their rehearsal; Kotori and Umi were definitely _not_ supposed to be looking at each other at this point of the song. It didn't matter to the audience, who roared their approval and thought it was part of the routine.

"Hey, isn't Kotori supposed to be looking at the audience? Wait a second; they aren't supposed to be holding their hands out to each other at this part at all! When was that ever part of the choreography?" A voice commented in disbelief, making Nozomi and Eli turn around. They saw Honoka's confused face and giggled.

"Yeah but I'm guessing something happened in the dressing room." Nozomi replied with a wink and laughed when Honoka's face turned into one of realization.

"Ah, I see. Well I'm happy for them! My two dumb best friends finally got together and—wait, is that a hickey on Umi's back? Oh my god, their lips are all messed up too!" Honoka started energetically but froze in horror at the observation she just made. Eli and Nozomi whipped their heads back to see that Honoka wasn't lying; there was a noticeable red blotch on Umi's back which would only show if she moved too much. In addition, their lips were bruised enough for someone to notice if they stared long enough.

"Oh my god, I knew they had some sexual tension but I didn't think they would actually try to do something _before_ their performance to actually _create_ sexual tension! That's it; I am giving everyone a lecture after this live. First, I find Maki and Nico making out shamelessly in one of the dressing rooms with the door _unlocked_. Now, Umi has this huge ass hickey on her back while she and Kotori have bruised lips, which could make a devastating scandal if anyone noticed. I trust that the two of you were mature and responsible, right?" Honoka rambled on before directing her last question to her seniors. When she saw their blush, she facepalmed herself and gave the two a stern look, uncharacteristically acting like a leader.

"If there's any marks, cover it up."

"We didn't do anything to that extent!" Eli raised her hands in defense and Honoka looked at her skeptically. "I'm saying the truth!" She looked at Nozomi with pleading eyes and the girl responded with her usual gentle smile.

"She's telling the truth, Honoka-chan. After all," Nozomi started before she let out a sly grin, "once we start, we wouldn't be able to stop."

Eli blushed deeply before hiding her face with her hands, groaning loudly. Honoka, who was only against questionable activities during live performances or meetings, cheered Nozomi on and gave her a high-five. Eli just groaned once more at the two, wondering why Honoka was even reacting that way.

"Nozomi, you're so embarrassing."

"Only for you, Elichi."

"Nozomi, seriously. Stop saying things like that; it's embarrassing."

"Why not Elichi? We're dating after all, right? Unless that kiss meant nothing to you."

"N-No Nozomi, it's not like that!"

"And this is why Nico-chan doesn't hang out with you two. I completely understand now." Honoka interrupted and Eli blushed in embarrassment. Eli made a move to speak but was interrupted by a member of the stage crew, who were all too busy to pay any attention to the idols themselves.

"Ayase-san, Toujou-san! You will be up in five minutes!"

Honoka giggled and snapped a picture of Eli's awkward face before skipping away, humming a song. Nozomi yelled out to the leader to send her the picture and she responded with the 'okay' sign, her index finger curving to reach her thumb. Nozomi gave the girl a thumbs-up before turning around, giggling at Eli's red face.

"Why are you so embarrassed? It was the truth after all." Nozomi asked, her green eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I, I don't know." Eli admitted, making the shorter girl raise her eyebrow in curiosity. "When it comes to you, I can't help but get embarrassed easily." Her response made Nozomi smile softly and she reached out to give the blonde a hug, directing one of Eli's hands to where her heart was.

"Feel that? My heart is beating so fast that I feel like it's going to burst. And it's all because of you." Nozomi whispered gently and she felt the taller girl bury her head in the crook of her neck.

"Mhm, I feel it." She responded and Nozomi felt her soft lips brush against her neck. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Is there something wrong?" A deep voice interrupted and the two broke off their embrace. "The two of you will be going up soon, you should get ready."

"We're fine. We were just talking." Nozomi answered before giving Umi a smirk, "What about you, Umi-chan? Throughout your performance, all I could do was wonder how that mark got on your back. Or how your lips got into that state."

Umi's widened in horror while Kotori giggled innocently. Nozomi reached over and Kotori accepted the high five while Eli looked at the younger girl with shock; she didn't even consider the possibility that this pure girl had devious intentions.

"K-Kotori!" Umi protested and Kotori pouted.

"It's not okay? I couldn't help myself; not when I saw how sexy Umi-chan was."

"So who's on top?" Nozomi teased with a sly grin and Umi blushed deeply. Kotori only put her hand under her chin, taking the question seriously.

"I guess I am for now, unless Umi-chan is the type who has a switch that makes her into an animal or something. What about you, Nozomi-chan?"

"I am not an animal—"

"Hm, I would say probably Elichi although she does get embarrassed easily~"

Umi's loud protests were ignored as Kotori and Nozomi continued their conversation. Eli's face just turned redder, shocked of the new revelations she had come upon on this day. Thankfully for the two conservative girls, the staff had to usher Nozomi and Eli onto the stage for their performance, cutting the conversation short.

"We should talk about this later, Nozomi-chan!"

"How about Friday? Let's get Nicochi and Hanayo to come too!"

"Deal!"

Kotori smiled joyfully as Nozomi and Eli took their places on the platform and leaned against Umi's shoulder. She giggled when she saw Umi's embarrassed face before giving her girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek.

"Cheer up, Umi-chan. Nozomi-chan and I were just teasing the two of you."

"It is still very shameful to talk about!" Umi replied, making Kotori pout. Umi immediately regretted her words, not liking that expression on Kotori's face even though it looked cute. She moved to hold Kotori's hand, which made the girl look at her in confusion.

"I, I just want to take things slow." Umi admitted, ignoring the fact that her cheeks were flaming red and that she was getting lost in Kotori's amber eyes, "Someone like you deserves the best."

"Umi-chan…" Kotori whispered, a warm smile forming on her cheeks and she laid her head on Umi's shoulder. She resisted the temptation to kiss the blue-haired girl on the spot; it would have created a scandal despite the fact that there weren't a lot of people paying attention to them. Well, the staff already knew of how close the second years were so they didn't question their current state.

Music suddenly started and the two watched their upperclassmen perform. They felt their hearts ache at the lyrics, realizing how relatable it was. It was like the song had said: the only thing they could do was painfully gaze at each other in public especially since they were idols. What touched their hearts even more was the routine that Eli and Nozomi did; the way they reached their hands out to each other while singing, the way that they looked at each other as if they truly were in pain, and the way that they caressed each other for the shortest moment before breaking away—the song was the epitome of forbidden love. Despite this, the crowd voiced their overwhelming support, cheering the two on with energetic roars.

Umi faintly heard shuffling behind her so she turned around to see Rin and Hanayo. Hanayo was tearing up, whispering about how truly heartrending the song was when it was sung live and Rin could only comfort the girl by hugging her. She felt herself smile softly at the scene, thinking about how pure the two girls were.

Umi then let her eyes drift around the backstage before she felt them widen slightly in shock. Nico was also tearing up and Maki was next to the girl, her face uncertain of what to do but the unmistakable expression of concern present on her face. She hadn't realized that the two were together and was about to question Kotori about it but was interrupted by Honoka, who was on the other side of the backstage.

Honoka was waving energetically at Umi to get her attention and grinned widely when she did. Umi raised her eyebrow, her body language asking what the other girl had wanted. Honoka responded with another wide grin of her own before motioning Umi to pose. Umi blushed at what Honoka was getting at and tensed up, making Kotori look at her lover questioningly. Umi looked back and couldn't help but get lost in her amber eyes once again. Her sharp stare was replaced with a gentle, loving one and Umi couldn't stop moving her face closer to Kotori's; it was as if her body had a mind of its own. Umi lowered her head, closing her eyes in the process while Kotori leaned up, the faintest of a smile on her face. And right when the two's lips connected, Honoka took a picture, grinning happily at her best friends.

And luckily for the three second years, everyone was too caught up with Eli and Nozomi's breathtaking performance to notice a single thing.

* * *

 **AN:** The reason why RinPana didn't get a duet was because I think the live performance for "Love Wing Bell" makes up for it. Shikaco, the character voice for Hanayo, literally walks Rippi, the voice actor for Rin, down the aisle and it's the cutest thing in the world. As for the performances, they are all related to the actual live ones.

Those who want nsfw, it'll be in the next chapter. I teased you guys a lil here haha sorry

As always, any criticisms are much appreciated!


	5. Extra Chapter

**The Aftermath**

"Wow Honoka-chan, you took some really good pictures!"

"Of course, Hanayo-chan! After all, I, Honoka Kousaka, am the leader of Muse, the best idol group in the world!"

"Careful or you'll start to sound like Nico-chan."

"Eh? And what's wrong with that, Maki-chan!"

"Nothing, it's just that you get annoyingly aggravating at times."

"Maki-chan, that's it! I'm breaking up with you!"

"W-Wait, what? Wait, Nico-chan, I didn't mean it like that!"

"Hehe, I know. Nico-nii was just teasing you~"

"Mou, Nico-chan, that's a terrible joke!"

"This sort of makes me wish that the two weren't dating, nya. Now all they ever argue about is each other."

"Eh, but haven't they been doing that all the time?"

"Yes but its very lovey-dovey in a sense now Honoka-chan. Ah, but I don't mind it at all; it shows how much Maki-chan has grown."

"Wow, Kayo-chin! You're smart, observant, _and_ cute, nya! It's no wonder how Rin fell for you!"

"R-Rin-chan!"

"Seriously? You complain about us when all your life you've been flirting with each other."

"Nya? Don't be so jealous Nico-chan! At least nyaw you have Maki-chan, nya!"

"...Rin, I swear one day I will rip out that tongue of yours."

"Girls, if you don't settle down then I'll have to punish you."

"A-Ah, yes ma'am!"

Once again, Muse held another meeting but weren't inside the Idol Research club room this time. They were in Maki's house since it was Saturday and the live was on Monday due to certain circumstances (Honoka accidentally messed up the dates but they were still able to perform with great success). Knowing this, they all made sure not to exert themselves so that they were well enough for school the next day.

At the moment, they were all sitting on the leather couches in Maki's spacious living room; Maki, Nico, Hanayo, and Rin sat on one while Nozomi, Eli, Kotori, and Umi sat on the other, which was facing the other couch while Honoka was standing up proudly at the edge of the table which separated the two couches. Somehow, it went from celebrating the success of their latest live to Honoka showing the group the pictures she captured. Most of them, much to Eli, Umi, and Maki's dismay, were embarrassing.

"I can't believe you snapped a picture of that romantic kiss between Umi-chan and Kotori-chan though." Nico gushed and Honoka smiled smugly when the two blushed.

"Don't forget the one with Eli-chan cuddling with Nozomi-chan." Hanayo added with a dreamy smile on her face.

"I think the best is Maki-chan's face when I told her that I kissed Nicochi." Nozomi snickered when the two girls flushed with embarrassment. Maki's face at the time was morphed with horror, shock, and anger; it was an extremely rare look the redhead showed. Of course, it wasn't true and Maki immediately caught on but she was still pissed at the fact that they caught a picture of her face.

"Eli, control your girlfriend!" Maki replied angrily and Eli shrugged, used to Nozomi's antics by now.

"She's always been like this though." Eli responded indifferently, making the redhead groan loudly.

"Well I think the cutest one was Hanayo-chan walking Rin-chan down the platform during "Love Wing Bell" It looked like a real wedding." Kotori interrupted with a sweet smile, knowing that Maki would get into a bad mood if the conversation went any further. The two first years blushed before Rin started to cuddle with Hanayo once more.

"Rin almost kissed Kayo-chin in the middle of song because Kayo-chin was really cute, nya!"

"E-Eh? But Rin-chan looked the cutest, especially with that beautiful dress."

"Kayo-chin!"

"Rin-chan!"

"You're too cute, Kayo-chin!"

"What are you talking about? You're the cute one, Rin-chan!"

The two hugged each other, making some look back with disgust (Maki) and the others smile softly. Instinctively, Nozomi lay her head on Eli's shoulder, Umi held Kotori's hand, and Nico scooted closer to Maki, who still didn't get the hint. Nico frowned openly, making Honoka snicker. Nico gave the ginger a glare and she promptly shut up.

"Why are we here again? At _my_ house?" Maki asked, not even recognizing the romantic atmosphere. Kotori and Hanayo gave Nico sympathetic looks while Nozomi gave Nico a knowing smirk.

"Relaxing, duh. Also to brainstorm some ideas for any new songs but there's no rush since we finished a live recently." Nico answered, rolling her eyes at how oblivious her girlfriend was while Nozomi's eyes gleamed, making Maki frown deeply. She knew what that look meant and it meant trouble.

"I have an idea!" Nozomi spoke up and everyone turned their gaze at her.

"This better not be a joke." Nico grumbled and Nozomi giggled.

"Nicochi, have faith in me." Nozomi responded with her teasing smile before continuing, "Well, I think for our next live we should heat some things up." Kotori's eyes immediately widened when she saw Nozomi give her a wink, realizing what Nozomi was getting at.

"You mean like more revealing clothes, right?" Kotori asked and Nozomi nodded with a wide grin, her eyes twinkling with amusement and approval.

"Right on the spot, Kotori-chan!" The two gave each other a high-five and their girlfriends just covered their faces with shame.

"Kotori…"

"Nozomi…"

"But I want to see Elichi in a sexy dress."

"N-Nozomi! Those are things you should keep to yourself!"

"Hey Maki-chan, what do you want to see me in?" Nico teased and wagged her eyebrows, making the redhead blush and turn her head away.

"I don't want to see you in anything." The girl bit back but groaned when she realized what she said, making Honoka snicker.

"Maki-chan, that's really gay."

"T-That's not what I meant and you know it!" The girls laughed at Maki's outburst, knowing that the girl was too flustered to come up with a reasonable response to Nico's teasing.

"I really have to thank you, Honoka-chan. If it weren't for the duets, I wouldn't have realized how Umi-chan felt." Kotori admitted, blushing cutely and Eli agreed, giving the ginger a soft smile. Honoka beamed and flashed the two her widest grin.

"No worries, Kotori-chan, Eli-chan! Anything for my best friends." She responded and Umi sent her a grateful smile.

"What did happen in that dressing room?" Nozomi asked, smirking when the two went from cheerful to embarrassed in a split second.

"W-Well, we uh—" Umi stuttered, making everyone except Kotori, who was also flustered, look at the blue-haired girl in amusement.

"W-We just, um, t-talked and stuff." Kotori stammered and Honoka snorted.

"Sure. You talked and a hickey magically appeared Umi-chan's back."

"Hickey?!" Hanayo, Rin, Nico, and Maki exclaimed before shifting their gaze to the couple. Kotori and Umi doing such scandalous things? It didn't seem possible, especially with someone like Umi; the blue-haired girl could barely handle kissing scenes from a _movie_.

"I was thinking the exact same thing. It's always the quiet ones." Eli commented with disbelief and shook her head, which made Nozomi laugh.

"I technically count as a quiet one, right?" Eli didn't like the way Nozomi's eyes gleamed with mischief. She suddenly felt that the room got hotter and tugged the collar of her shirt with a nervous look.

"What's wrong, Elichi? Too hot for you?" Nozomi whispered in a low sultry voice, inching closer to the blonde.

"N-Nozomi, w-wait. N-Not in front of them." Eli stuttered, blushing madly when her girlfriend sent her a knowing smirk.

"Ew, get a room." Nico interrupted, making Nozomi giggle. She returned back to her original position and gave Eli a peck on the cheek.

"Let's grab some _parfaits_ later." She said and Eli nodded her head numbly. Nico noticed this and gagged.

"Oh my god, all those times you two claimed you went to the parfait shop afterschool this past week was really _that_? That's revolting." Nico shot the two a disgusted look and Eli blushed guiltily while Nozomi just kept the smile on her face.

"W-We aren't like that!" Eli protested weakly but Nico just rolled her eyes.

"Sure you aren't." Nico replied sarcastically, making Rin look at the two third years weirdly.

"Eh? What are you two talking about, nya? Never mind that, Rin wants to know how the four of you together!" Rin exclaimed curiously and Hanayo agreed. The group of girls gave the two soft smiles; they were too pure for this world.

"That really was what happened though. Kotori and I talked and we clarified some things, specifically our feelings for each other." Umi defended and Kotori nodded in agreement.

"Umi-chan was too cute when she was embarrassed so I couldn't help but kiss her. After that, I don't remember anything except that it was very hot and I couldn't breathe well…" Kotori confessed honestly, making Umi's face redden. Honoka and Nozomi cheered Kotori on while the other girls blushed, not used to hearing such displays of affection. After patting Kotori on the back, Honoka flashed Maki a thumbs up, who raised her eyebrow in question.

"I've gotta hand it to Maki-chan; the music also added to the sexual tension! And that made their performance even better!" The two girls blushed even more while Maki's eye twitched in annoyance; Honoka really needed to know when to stop talking. However, Honoka's previous statement was completely ignored with Nozomi's question.

"So who's on top?" The purple-haired girl asked deviously which made Eli and Umi groan. They really didn't want to have this conversation again.

"I honestly don't know. Mostly, I would initiate but sometimes, Umi-chan would suddenly kiss me out of nowhere and when I finally get it together, I find that I'm pressed against the wall with my clothes—"

"Kotori!" Umi interrupted as she, Rin, and Hanayo were as red as a tomato and ignored the approving looks from Nozomi and Honoka. Eli's faced reddened and Nico whistled loudly, a smirk forming on her face.

"Didn't know you had it in you, Umi." Umi just covered her face with her hands, inwardly groaning at what was happening.

"B-But what about Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan?" Hanayo asked curiously and Nozomi let out a smirk.

"Nothing much, really. Just our usual flirting but this time it got out of hand." She replied, giving the mortified girls a wink while Eli felt her cheeks become terribly warm once more.

"N-Nozomi! It wasn't like that, I swear!" Eli protested and directed the last statement to the girls, wanting to keep her title as a cool and admirable upperclassmen.

"Hm, then what was it like then, Elichi?" Nozomi asked, her eyes twinkling in amusement. Eli groaned, knowing that she was caught in one of her girlfriend's traps.

"Nozomi told me that I was the person on her mind in a flirty manner but I didn't want to lose so I told her that I've been thinking about her these past couple months. And then she kissed me." Eli replied quickly, not thinking correctly because of the pressure she felt and immediately froze at her use of words; Nozomi was frowning.

"Oh, so it was because you didn't want to lose, huh?" Nozomi turned away from Eli, who frantically stopped her and took her hand. She forced her girlfriend to look at her in the eyes.

"No, I didn't mean it like that!"

"Oh, so then what was it all? A game?"

"Nozomi, stop that. You know what happened between us wasn't a game and you know I don't like this expression on your face."

"Well I hope you feel worse knowing that the cause is you."

"Nozomi, I love you!" Eli uncharacteristically replied in desperation, making everyone's eyes widen in surprise, "And I really thought that it was all a game until you kissed me but my response was completely honest; you've invaded my mind these past months and I can't help but sleep with you as the last thing on my mind."

"E-Elichi…"

"Nozomi…"

"And this is why I hang out with you three. Tch, to think you all thought I was exaggerating when I said that Eli's a dense dork when it comes to Nozomi." Nico's voice rang out which made the blonde realize that there was still an audience. She turned around and saw Kotori, Honoka, and Hanayo's teary faces, Umi and Rin's uncomfortable ones, and Maki and Nico's disgusted looks. Eli laughed sheepishly as she took her hands off of Nozomi's shoulders, deciding to intertwine one hand with her girlfriend's and using her other one to make a gesture of apology.

"Sorry." Eli started but was interrupted by Honoka, Kotori, and Hanayo's sniffles. "Are you three okay?" Eli sent the three a confused but concerned look and they shook their heads.

"Girls, what's wrong?" Nozomi asked with her tone soft and her voice filled with worry. What she didn't expect was the sudden outburst.

"How romantic!" Hanayo exclaimed, her tears coming out.

"The mothers of Muse get into a fight—" Kotori started, wiping her tears with her handkerchief and the couple sweatdropped at her choice of words.

"—but overcome the problem because of their strong love for each other!" Honoka finished, making the rest of the girls look at the three weirdly. Except for Nozomi. She just laughed softly with amusement and motioned for them to come close to her.

"Come here you three." And they did, hugging and crying while Nozomi giggled gently, comforting them all the while.

"Now that I think of it, those two really are like moms." Maki mused, making Rin giggle.

"Of course, nya! Nozomama always knows if something's wrong and Papachika is always too overprotective!" She replied with a bright grin, making Nico cringe at the nicknames.

"Nozomama? Papachika? Rin, I worry about your future sometimes."

"Nico-chan, that's nyat nice!"

"Maki-chan, how the hell do you deal with this everyday?"

"You get used to it."

"I am not overprotective!" Eli defended loudly, breaking off the conversation between Nico, Rin, and Maki, but received a deadpan look from Umi.

"You glare at every guy and girl who looks at any of us funny. One of them even defecated while still wearing his pants."

"W-Well, what if they're a creep who—"

"You become overdramatic at every injury we have." Maki added with a pointed look, remembering all the times that Eli rushed to her side every time she slightly bruised her fingers from playing the piano too much.

"H-Hey! What if it is actually serious—"

"Elichi, a paper cut isn't that serious." Nozomi's voice rang out from beside her, the three girls still hugging the purple-haired girl with comfortable smiles. Eli pouted slightly, knowing that she lost.

"Fine, fine. So what if I'm a little—" Nico snorted and Maki rolled her eyes, "—protective? Someone has to be, and it's up to me seeing as how I'm probably the most responsible one here."

"That part is true." Umi commented while she got up to take Kotori and wiped her tears off, "I admit that I get out of control at times." This time it was Honoka who snorted and she was still in Nozomi's embrace. Nozomi gave the girl a pointed look and she responded with a semi-apologetic look.

"You get angry when I eat bread but when Kotori can't finish the warm ups because she ate too much cheesecake, you let her off easily. Talk about double standards."

"W-What? I certainly do not have any double standards." Umi protested with a glare and Honoka glared back but Nozomi gave the two girls a devious look. Her hands wiggled into the air threateningly, making Honoka and Hanayo rush out of her embrace.

"Girls, stop fighting." Nozomi said and the two girls immediately shut up.

"O-Okay." Honoka and Umi chorused in fear and Nozomi smiled in satisfaction. Kotori was about to comfort her best friends when Honoka's phone started ringing. Looking at it curiously, she picked it up and read the name out loud.

"Eh...Tsubasa-chan? Since when were you and Tsubasa-san on good terms?" Kotori asked, tilting her head slightly and Honoka froze. She laughed sheepishly at the accusing faces the girls had on; A-Rise and Muse were still technically rivals.

"Uh, we have these, uh, leader meetings every now and then—for support and advice of course—and uh, we became pretty close friends." Honoka explained with a small but noticeable blush and she took the phone away from Kotori, "I'm gonna answer this real quick." She left and the group of girls thought about what just happened.

"Wow, I never noticed…" Hanayo commented in disbelief and Nozomi let out a giggle.

"None of us did, Hanayo-chan but I guess it isn't that surprising; those two hit it off really well even though Honoka-chan was a bit awkward at first."

"I do not approve." Umi muttered darkly and Kotori moved to hold her hand.

"Umi-chan, you're going to have to let go of Honoka-chan sooner or later."

"That is not the problem here Kotori. We are letting Honoka, our cherished friend—"

"Don't you mean child?" Nozomi teased but was ignored as Umi's tone was very serious.

"—go to some girl we barely know."

"Umi-chan, Honoka-chan can do what she wants."

"She is not of age yet!"

"We aren't either!"

"But I've known you ever since we were little kids Kotori. We're talking about Tsubasa, a girl we only met a couple months ago."

"Umi-chan, at least give her a chance."

"Kotori, you spoil her too much."

"And you're too harsh on her Umi-chan."

"Oh my god, can you talk about your kid some other time? All I'm ever hearing today are lovey-dovey couple arguments." Nico groaned loudly and Umi blushed in embarrassment.

"Honoka is not our child!"

"Well, since all you ever do is scold her while Kotori spoils her, you sorta are their parents, nya!" Rin agreed with Nico and the two shared a high-five. Umi groaned and sat back while Kotori patted her head in comfort.

"It's okay Umi-chan…"

"So, what'd I miss?" Honoka asked as she went back into the room and Maki shrugged indifferently.

"Your two parents fighting over whether to accept Tsubasa or not."

"E-Eh? B-But my parents aren't here? Wait, Tsubasa-chan and I aren't like that!" Honoka exclaimed, genuinely confused and Nico groaned loudly again.

"Maki-chan, you know she wouldn't understand it."

"Well, it's not my fault she's slow."

"That's just rude, Maki-chan."

"Like you're any better?"

"And _you're_ complaining about hearing lovey dovey fights Nico?" Eli interrupted, making the two girls blush before turning to Honoka, "Maki was referring to Kotori and Umi."

"Oh. _Oh_." Honoka's face formed into that of realization before it turned inquisitively shy, "W-Why wouldn't you accept Tsubasa-chan?" Honoka fidgeted when Umi's anger rose again.

"Is this the reason why you've been getting bread every morning? Even if it is not the case, I still do not approve!"

"We aren't like that Umi-chan!"

"Umi-chan, calm down. Honoka-chan, Umi-chan is just worried that Tsubasa-san isn't the type of person you think she is." Kotori mediated while giving Umi a stern look. Umi complied and sat back, silently upset as she crossed her arms. When she saw Eli making whipping motions and Maki with a shit eating grin she almost scoffed out loud; Umi knew they were just as whipped as she was.

"But Tsubasa-chan and I have known each other for months now! Ever since we officially met up all those months ago, we've been meeting up and talking!"

"About what, may I ask?" Umi asked threateningly and Kotori gave Umi another strict look.

"Umi-chan…"

"Y-Yes, Kotori. I understand." Umi glared at Eli and Maki when they both smirked smugly.

"Why does this feel like a slice-of-life drama where Honoka-chan disobeys her parents to be with Tsubasa-san but they end up accepting her anyways?" Hanayo whispered to Rin, who giggled silently at the comment.

"I don't know but now that Rin realizes it, those three sort of do seem like a family, nya." Rin replied and the two giggled quietly before going off into their own world and cuddling with each other like they always did.

"Okay, okay. Everyone settle down now. I'm sure you three can talk about accepting Tsubasa into your family later. For now, we should probably eat lunch." Eli interrupted with amusement and the three didn't bother to reply because they were surprised a lot of time had passed.

"Eh? It's already been four hours?" Honoka asked and Nozomi giggled softly.

"Yes it has. How about we play some videogames after? I brought a dancing game." She suggested and the Idiot Trio immediately became excited.

"Woohoo! Time to show off my mad dancing skills!"

"Rin has madder dancing skills than Honoka-chan, nya!"

"As if you two lames are good. I'm Nico-nii, the number one idol in the universe! Without a doubt I'm the best one here."

"But what's for lunch?" Hanayo meekly asked and the three stopped their excited argument before all eyes went to Nico, who immediately groaned.

"Come on, I cook for my siblings already."

"I'll help." Hanayo, Kotori, and Nozomi volunteered simultaneously and the three looked at each other before giggling loudly.

"Alright, alright. Let's go girls; we have some delicious food to make."

With that, Muse spent the day at Maki's house joking and playing with one another and decided to have a sleepover to fully celebrate the overwhelming success of their Live. By the end of the day, the group of girls became closer than ever. However, night time was a completely different story.

* * *

Umi stirred as she felt something move next to her. She opened her eyes sleepily and looked at the clock that was conveniently placed above the door.

 _'It is only 1 am? This means that I have only been sleeping for two hours...'_ Umi thought drowsily before she froze, _'Wait, why is it so warm?'_

Umi gently turned her head to see Kotori snuggled up to her arm. Feeling the person she was cuddling with stiffen up, Kotori slowly opened her eyes and Umi became lost in them—something that had been happening as of late.

"Did I wake you up? Sorry, Umi-chan." The ashen-haired girl apologized quietly and Umi shook her head, turning so that she could face her.

"It is fine." Umi responded, still drowning in the amber eyes she fell for, "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kotori replied, smiling softly when Umi blushed lightly.

"W-Well, everyone has their own rooms to sleep in so I thought you had your reasons for sleeping in mine." Umi explained and was surprised when Kotori swiftly moved to nuzzle her neck.

"You're right when you say I have my reasons for being in here." Umi heard the younger girl whisper and shuddered when she felt lips on her neck. "I felt lonely, Umi-chan."

"K-Kotori..." Umi shivered again and took in a sharp breath when Kotori started sucking on her neck, "W-Wait, aren't we going a bit too fast?" Kotori moved up from Umi's neck to her lips, pressing her own against Umi's gently before smiling warmly at how embarrassed Umi looked.

"I've been waiting for you for almost a year now Umi-chan. I know you want to take it slow because you think I deserve it but I don't think I can wait any longer." Kotori confessed, her smile turning shy as a blush adorned her cheeks, "W-Well, actually if it's too fast for you I can wait. I don't really mind."

Umi felt something catch in her throat as she thought about how selfless her girlfriend was; Kotori just confessed that she was waiting for her for months and was still willing to be even more patient. For _her_ —a person who was too dense and awkward and hopelessly gay.

Before Umi could reply, her body started to move according to its own and she found her hand gently caressing Kotori's cheek. Adoring chocolate eyes stared at soft amber ones before they closed. Kotori bit back the gasp itching to escape her throat when Umi pulled her in for a kiss and immediately tilted her head so her lover could gain more access. The two didn't process anything other than the warmth, softness, and moans of the other, and Kotori wasn't surprised to find that Umi had crawled on top of her; the kiss had turned from slow and gentle to passionate and deep.

Umi broke off the kiss moments after, panting slightly as she rested her forehead on top of Kotori's. Kotori almost melted when she saw the amount of love in Umi's chocolate eyes and averted her gaze, feeling heat rush into her cheeks as she willed her heart to slow down. Umi only chuckled softly and used her fingers to make Kotori face her; by now she forgot how shameless everything was because all she wanted was to make it up to Kotori.

"No need to be so embarrassed, Kotori." Umi whispered before pulling the girl below her into another sweet kiss, "I will make everything up to you."

Kotori couldn't think clearly, not when Umi started sucking on her neck like she was doing moments ago. She let out a small moan when she felt Umi's lips move down to her sensitive collarbone and snaked her arms around the blue-haired girl's neck. Encouraged by her reactions, Umi began to trail kisses up her neck, stopping to tug the at the girl's earlobe with her teeth, before moving down to leave more marks on her collarbone.

Umi couldn't stop her body from acting on its own accord—everything about Kotori was intoxicating. She felt her control slip when Kotori confessed how long she wanted her and almost lost it when Kotori let out a melodious moan. Wanting to hear more, Umi moved one of her arms to caress the body underneath her while she kept the other on the side to keep her balance. She immediately felt Kotori groan into her mouth and repeated what she was doing with more vigor. She let her hand slip under the barriers, wanting to elicit more reactions. She touched the soft skin of Kotori's stomach before trailing her hands up to caress her breasts, making the girl underneath her break off the kiss to let out a particularly loud moan.

Kotori was in heaven; Umi was making her feel things she had never felt before. Her entire body tingled with desire and lust whenever the other touched her, as if her calloused fingers left a burning sensation. She closed her eyes tightly, wrapping her arms around Umi even more.

"U-Umi...chan!" Kotori gasped when Umi squeezed one of her breasts, "Umi-chan, onegai!"

"Please what, Kotori?" Umi asked with a hint of a smirk, her voice noticeably lower, "I will not be able to understand unless you are clear with me." She lightly sucked a spot on her neck, making Kotori take in a sharp breath. She let out something between a whine and a groan before she moved her lips to Umi's neck, sucking hard. She smiled in satisfaction when the older girl let out a groan before trailing her lips higher. She bit her earlobe and blew softly, loving how she was able to make Umi shudder.

"Umi-chan, I need you." Kotori whispered seductively and she held back a giggle when her lover shivered, knowing what type of effect she had on her.

Umi knew Kotori was teasing her but didn't mind, not with what she was about to do. Knowing what Kotori wanted from the start, she moved back to lower Kotori's pajamas and underwear. She felt Kotori shake in anticipation as she lowered her hand towards her prize and when she did, she palmed the folds gently, making sure to lubricate her fingers well. Kotori let out a loud groan before she was silenced by Umi's lips.

"Not too loud or they might hear." Kotori heard Umi whisper before nodding her head, "Relax and focus on me, love."

Kotori found herself swept into another passionate kiss and couldn't help but moan into Umi's mouth. Umi's hand was doing wonders and she hadn't even entered yet. And once she did, Kotori broke off the kiss in order to groan lightly in pain.

"Sh, it's okay. It'll stop hurting soon." Umi comforted while letting Kotori adjust to her finger. It took all of her control not to do anything; Kotori squeezed her finger so deliciously that she wanted to move.

Once Kotori was used to the feeling, she shifted her hips up, making Umi establish a slow pace. She pumped her finger in and out gently, loving how Kotori panted lightly into her ear. When she felt Kotori tighten her hold on her neck, Umi started to move faster, eventually adding another finger. She relished how Kotori moaned in absolute pleasure, knowing that she was the only one who could make her feel this way. She moved her lips to her neck again, obsessed with how Kotori tasted. She ran her tongue along a trail of sweat, loving how salty it was before moving back down to leave another mark on her collarbone. When Kotori started to moan louder, she initiated another kiss; she still had the sense to not be too loud this late at night.

Kotori nearly screamed with pleasure when she felt Umi's thumb caress her clit. Wanting to feel more, she moved her hips up in order to meet Umi's fingers. She felt something inside build up and knew that she needed to release soon or else she would go crazy.

"U-Umi...chan...f-faster!" Kotori breathed and Umi groaned loudly; at this point, she had no self control left.

Umi complied, thrusting her fingers swiftly while still using her thumb to touch her clit. She growled lowly, moving her lips down to wrap her tongue around Kotori's breasts before sucking on one of the pink buds. She moved even faster when she found Kotori's g-spot, obsessed with how Kotori was going crazy by her touch. No one else except _her_ could make Kotori feel this way.

Kotori panted heavily while letting out light moans when Umi started to pump her fingers faster. When she felt something inside her burst, she muffled her moans by biting down hard on Umi's neck, making the blue-haired girl grunt with a mixture of pleasure and pain. She felt waves of pleasure erupt and her body shudder as she experienced her first orgasm of the night.

Feeling tired, Umi took out her hand and slumped next to Kotori. She got the covers and placed it over them, making sure to clean her hand with the sheet. She turned around to face Kotori, who was still breathing hard, and smiled gently.

"Are you feeling okay?" Umi asked softly and chuckled quietly when Kotori moved to snuggle into her arms.

"That was incredible Umi-chan." Kotori whispered back, nuzzling her head at the crevice of Umi's neck. Umi, feeling delighted that she did great, reciprocated the feeling and wrapped an arm around Kotori's waist. However, she became confused when she felt Kotori's lips suck gently on her neck. Umi pulled away a bit, looking at Kotori questionably and regretted it.

Kotori's amber eyes were still darkened with lust, making Umi gulp audibly. She felt her girlfriend trail her hand down her side and shivered all the while. It was only when Kotori kissed her that she knew what her lover wanted to do.

"That was incredible Umi-chan, but I still have to return the favor." Umi bit her lip to hide the moan that threatened to come out when Kotori pushed her back so she could straddle her.

It seems like Umi wouldn't sleep a wink that night.

* * *

 _Moments before Kotori entered Umi's room_

"I knew you'd still be awake." A light giggle was heard, making Eli turn around at the sound.

Nozomi was a the doorway with a knowing smirk, making Eli blush lightly with embarrassment. Eli moved away from the window and gave Nozomi a small smile. The curtains were wide open to let as much of the moon's brightness in.

"You know I know you can't handle the dark too well." Nozomi stated quietly, moving towards the blonde before pulling her down onto the bed she was supposed to be sleeping on, "Should I take your mind off of it so you can sleep without trouble?" Nozomi held back a giggle when she saw Eli's face redden even more. Unbeknownst to the blonde, she had locked the door.

"N-Nozomi! We can't do this here."Eli whispered furiously and tried to get up but the older girl was having none of it. Nozomi just flipped Eli over so she could straddle her and leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"What they don't know won't hurt them, Elichi." Nozomi teased in a quiet voice, making Eli involuntarily shudder, "As long as we're quiet, we'll be fine."

"N-Nozomi..." Eli closed her eyes tightly as she tried to get rid of the naughty images that filled her head.

This wasn't her first time with Nozomi. After a much needed talk after the live, the two both realized that they were in love with each other ever since their second year of high school. Although they hadn't been dating for a long time, it already felt like they did; Eli knew as much as, maybe even more than Nozomi did about herself and it was the same for Nozomi. There was no need for words that night—they communicated purely through their bodies.

"I've been wanting you for the longest time Elichi." Nozomi whispered, snapping Eli back to reality. She felt the purple-haired girl on top of her rest her head on her neck and let out a low groan.

"You know it's the same for me even though I found out about my feelings late." Eli responded quietly as she snaked her arms around her waist and bit back a groan when she felt Nozomi bite her neck softly.

"Just this one time then?" Nozomi asked with a cute pout as she pulled back, making Eli question why she even tried to restrain herself. Nozomi was so cute and adorable and absolutely beautiful that she almost lost her mind right then and there. However, before the two could even act, they heard a moan come from the room next to theirs. Eli and Nozomi's eyes widened with surprise before Nozomi started to giggle.

"Wow, I didn't think Umi-chan had it in her. Kotori's probably having a lot of fun right now." Nozomi commented with amusement and Eli bit back the pout that was going to form on her face. It didn't matter; Nozomi still saw her try to hold it back.

"Is my cute and clever Elichika jealous?" Eli averted her gaze and she actually pouted, making Nozomi giggle once again. Nozomi leaned back down and tugged at Eli's earlobe with her teeth before whispering sultrily, "You know the only person I want is you."

'Swoosh'

That was the sound of all logic flying from Eli's head. Eli immediately flipped their position so that she was on top, making Nozomi gasp in surprise. Before she even knew it, Eli's lips were on her soft, plump ones. She tangled one hand on the blonde locks and used the other to wrap around Eli's neck, tilting her head slightly to make the kiss deeper.

When the two broke apart to breathe, Eli moved swiftly to attack Nozomi's neck, sucking fiercely and leaving a multitude of marks; Nozomi had to bite her lip hard to prevent any sounds from coming out. The blonde promptly put her hands to use, slipping them under Nozomi's shirt to caress the two breasts she was obsessed with. Not wanting to wait any longer, she lifted the shirt to take it off and moved her mouth to suck on them, wrapping her tongue around one of the pink buds while her hand fondled the other. Meanwhile, her other hand moved downwards to give Nozomi's ass a squeeze, making Nozomi take a sharp breath as she bit down on her hand to muffle her moans.

"E-Elichi!" Nozomi gasped out quietly when Eli switched her mouth so that she was on the other breast. She almost moaned out loud when she felt the blonde bring the lower part of her body up to grind against her pelvis.

Satisfied with what she had done on Nozomi's breasts, Eli moved her other hand down to her ass to grip it tightly before fully grinding against Nozomi's pelvis. The two let out a low moan and Nozomi pulled Eli back to capture her lips once again. She held back a moan when Eli tugged at her bottom lip and opened her mouth so she could meet her tongue. Nozomi wrapped her tongue around Eli's before fighting for dominance, eventually losing because she was distracted by Eli grinding on her. She wrapped her arms around Eli's neck when she felt the blonde suck on her tongue, feeling weaker and weaker every minute. Wanting to have some sort of control, Nozomi broke the kiss off to place her lips on Eli's neck, biting softly before sucking hard. She smirked when she felt the girl above her shudder and groan.

"Nozomi!" Eli gasped out when she felt the purple-haired girl's hands slip under her shirt. Knowing what her girlfriend wanted, she took off her shirt quickly before leaning back down to kiss her once again. Lips meshed against each other as tongues clashed once again. Hands roamed everywhere, caressing every spot of exposed flesh. Nothing was heard but the soft gasps and moans the two brought out from one another.

The two continued their passionate-filled kiss until Eli felt Nozomi tug at the top of her pajamas. Eli understood what she wanted and broke off the kiss to take both their pajamas off, making the two completely nude.

Nozomi fidgeted under Eli's intense gaze; she knew that the blonde loved to stare at her but it was unnerving when she did it directly and in this type of situation. Luckily for her, the two heard another moan coming from Umi's room, making Eli snap out of it and go back to action.

Eli moved slowly down, dragging her tongue to the exposed milky flesh she loved. She sucked and bit the skin along the way, leaving a trail of marks and making Nozomi shiver in anticipation. When she got to her lower lips, she smirked with satisfaction at how wet Nozomi was. Making sure that she didn't break eye contact with darkened emerald eyes, Eli lowered her head and gave Nozomi a long lick.

Nozomi's head immediately rolled back and she let out a low moan. She felt Eli move her tongue sensually, touching and exploring everywhere. She bit her hand to muffle her moans when she felt the blonde's tongue swirl inside before moving up to touch her clit. She almost screamed when she felt Eli open her legs wider before placing her hands on her ass to bring the folds closer to her face, making Eli's tongue push inside deeper than ever. Loving how everything felt, Nozomi moved her hands to grip on Eli's blonde locks tightly, making her growl with approval.

Meanwhile, Eli's mind was going haywire. When the two had made love for the first time, she became obsessed with how Nozomi tasted. She loved how bittersweet her juices were and her scent was enough to make her go crazy. This was how she found herself pushing her tongue as far as she could while drinking whatever juices spilled out. She groaned lowly when she heard her mouth making smacking noises, loving how lewd it sounded. Wanting to make Nozomi thrash around in pleasure, Eli moved her mouth up to suck gently on her clit and one of her long fingers replaced where her tongue used to be.

Nozomi let out a loud moan when this happened; she couldn't hold back anymore. She felt Eli's tongue twirl around her clit while her finger pumped in and out of her folds slowly. Once she got used to it, she let out a whimper, which Eli found out during their second time as a sign that Nozomi wanted things to be more intense. Eli promptly complied, adding another finger and increasing her pace. She still sucked softly on Nozomi's clit, making the older girl go crazy.

"Mhm!" Eli heard Nozomi trying to silence her moans and inwardly smirked. She knew that her girlfriend was getting really close to her release. However, she wanted to test Nozomi, wanting to see if she could make her scream even though they weren't back in the safety of Nozomi's apartment. She wasn't always this sadistic; in fact, Nozomi was the one who would fit the role better. Eli couldn't count how many times the girl beneath her got her to orgasm during school.

Nozomi's eyes widened when she felt Eli's ministrations increase with fervor. She felt something inside build up and couldn't help but let out a particularly loud moan when Eli's fingers hit her g-spot. She gripped Eli's blonde locks tighter, moving her hips to join the younger girl's fingers as she shuddered from the intensity of it all. Eli just moved her fingers faster, thrusting them in and out with extreme fervor. She felt herself becoming dizzy from how intoxicating Nozomi's scent was and her slick walls squeezing her fingers didn't help at all either; she felt as if she was in heaven.

Nozomi's eyes rolled back when she felt the coil inside burst. She felt light-headed and her vision became blurry as she felt her breathing become irregular from the breath-taking orgasm she just experienced. Eli, although disappointed that she wasn't able to make Nozomi scream her name, took out her fingers and lapped up whatever juices she had missed before cleaning her own fingers with her mouth. While doing this, she didn't break eye contact, knowing that Nozomi was staring at her intently. When she was finished, she gave the purple-haired girl a satisfied grin before going back on top of her to give her a kiss.

Unlike their lust-filled kisses, this one was slower and passionate. Eli cupped Nozomi's cheek gently while Nozomi tangled her fingers with her blonde locks while their lips collided at a leisured pace as if they had all the time in the world. Nozomi understood what Eli was trying to express and broke it off, giving the blonde a warm smile as she nuzzled her nose with hers.

"I love you too Elichi." Nozomi let out a soft giggle when Eli hid her blushing face between her breasts, knowing that the blonde had the tendency to do so whenever they were alone.

"It's not fair." Nozomi heard Eli's muffled voice, "If I had realized sooner, then we could've made more memories." Nozomi just giggled again, comforting Eli by patting her head.

"We're both at fault Elichi. But look at it this way: at least we were able to get together." Nozomi whispered, letting out an amused smile when Eli burrowed her face even more into her breasts, "What did I say about saying these types of things?"

"Not to. But I can't help it; I love you too much."

Nozomi was sure Eli could hear how fast her heart was beating right now. It really wasn't fair for her. Eli could turn from being a shy dork who non-stop blushed at her teasing to a sexy dominator who sent her smirks that got her heart to race to a loving girlfriend who just wanted the best for her. Nozomi felt a blush come up once again to her cheeks and she willed her heart to calm down; she didn't deserve someone as hardworking, loving, and perfect as Eli.

"Stop making that face." Nozomi blinked as she heard Eli's voice, "I know what you're thinking." Nozomi let out a gentle smile when she saw how serious Eli was.

"Elichi..."

"You know I deserve you as much as you deserve me." Eli responded softly, using one hand to brush a stray lock of hair behind Nozomi's ear.

"Mhm, I know." Nozomi giggled warmly as she nuzzled her forehead against Eli's and gazed into the adoring blue eyes she loved dearly, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Another moan from Umi's room broke the two out of their reverie, making Eli blush. She felt Nozomi move from under her and looked up curiously, which was a really bad idea.

Startled blue eyes met twinkling emerald eyes, which had darkened with lust and desire. Eli felt herself getting wet when she saw the tantalizing smirk Nozomi had; she knew exactly what the purple-haired girl was thinking.

"Since those two won't be sleeping for a while, why don't we preoccupy ourselves with something...equally distracting?" Nozomi whispered sultrily and Eli, whose mind became hazy with desire once again, moved to capture Nozomi's plump lips.

With that, the two third years spent the rest of their night with each other, and no other sounds were heard from the room except for gasps, moans, and soft whispers of love.

* * *

 **Omake**

Honoka snored loudly with content until she heard frantic knocks on her door. She woke up with a start, confused when two figures jumped on her bed and hugged her tightly. Blinking slowly, she realized that Rin and Hanayo were the ones who entered her room and that they were shivering with fear.

"Eh? What's going on?"

"Maki-chan's house is haunted, nya!" Rin whispered furiously and Hanayo nodded, the fright visibly apparent on her face. Honoka just looked at the two sleepily, scratching her head with confusion.

"There's no such thing as ghosts you two." She was about to go back to sleep but the two shook her awake, "Alright, alright I'm up. Why do you think this place is haunted?" Honoka decided to entertain them in order to prove them wrong. Well, that and she just wanted to sleep some more, knowing that the faster she dealt with this then the more sleep she would get.

"W-Well, I woke up to these weird noises and when I looked for Nozomi-chan, she wasn't in her room!" Hanayo started and Honoka bit back a frown, "And then the noises started to get louder so I ran to Rin-chan's room and she told me she woke up to them too!"

"Weird noises you say?" Honoka held back rolling her eyes, knowing exactly what was going on.

"And we went to look for Kotori-chan but she wasn't there either! And the noises came from around where Umi-chan and Eli-chan were sleeping so Kayo-chin and I decided to run to you since your room is the farthest." Rin explained and Honoka groaned; she was surprised that Kotori was engaging in this type of activity too. She still comforted the girls nonetheless, patting their heads before giving them a hug.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Nozomi-chan and Kotori-chan are exploring or getting a late night snack. You know how Nozomi is with her pranks and Kotori with her desserts. As for those noises, it's probably just that time of the month for those two dorks." Honoka lied, praising herself for her quick thinking and the two girls believed it, sighing in relief.

"Oh, so it was just something like that, nya! I was scared for a second there." Rin laughed brightly and Honoka gave the two a tired smile. However, something unfortunate happened right after.

"Maaaki-channn!"

The three girls froze as they heard Nico's scream from somewhere in the house. Rin and Hanayo immediately went back into their previous state while Honoka grit her teeth in anger.

"Oh no! The ghost has Nico-chan!" Hanayo hid under the covers with Rin, shivering all the while, "Somebody save us!"

"I'm right here, you two. Come on, I'll protect you from the big bad ghost! No one can beat me!" Honoka consoled and the two girls complied, sending the leader a grateful smile. She slipped under the covers and lay in between the two, allowing them to hug her arms tightly. When the two were finally able to go back to sleep, Honoka let out a glare so icy that someone like Eli would have shit her pants.

It looks like Muse would be in for a nice, painful lecture about manners the next morning.

* * *

 **AN:** Aaaaaand we're done! I needed something to counterattack all the sin that I wrote so I added a lil extra to the extra haha. I died writing the nsfw parts (but tbh I'll most likely be writing more sin later on). I think someone wanted a nsfw NicoMaki but I didn't do one here because they weren't the main focus. However, I do have an idea for them so stay tuned!

I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did when I was writing it. As for future stories, I'll probably stick to one-shots and drabbles. There are a couple AUs I want to work on but I currently don't have the time for it because of exams.

Thank you once again for reading and as always, any criticisms are always appreciated.


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